A Little Fishing Expedition
by WritePassion
Summary: Team Westen finds that things have changed in Miami when they return from Panama. Virgil has come to stay, and Sam experiences an upheaval. And this is only the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

_Burn Notice: I don't own it, I just like to play with it._

_Takes place after Season 6. Michael and Maddie resolved their issues, so if you're expecting Maddie to be nasty to Michael, you'll be sorely disappointed._

**A Little Fishing Expedition**

By WritePassion

Virgil was back in town. Sam knew it before he walked through the back door of Maddie's house. The old Ford pickup parked at the curb was a dead giveaway for starters. That and Sam distinctly heard his voice filtering from the living room, followed by a giggle that could only come from Maddie. Listening to the sounds only made his heart heavier.

"Sam, is that you?"

He shouldn't have sighed so loudly.

Maddie hurried around the corner, through the dining room, and greeted him in the kitchen with a wide smile and arms opened even wider, a cigarette clamped between two fingers as usual. The sight of her brought tears to his eyes, and he hid them in the crook of her neck when he hugged her.

"It's good to see you again." She rocked him gently and rubbed his back. Her voice lowered and she added, "I'm sorry about Elsa."

"Thanks," he whispered back. Sam looked up and met Virgil's gaze. The poor guy didn't know what to do, so he stood in the doorway to the dining room with a beer in his hand, staring at Sam.

The embrace ended, but Maddie caressed the side of Sam's scruffy face with her hand. He'd lost weight in Panama during that month that he went missing with Michael, Fiona, and Jesse. Card told her they were dead, but she didn't believe him. He said a lot of things she didn't buy, and in the end, her instincts were right. Card was no longer a threat, Michael and his friends were finally on the right side of the CIA's graces, and they were free to do whatever they pleased.

"I made supper. Why don't you sit down, and I'll get it out of the oven?"

"Maddie, I'd rather just... just get some sleep."

Sam looked more rugged than he had when he left, and the latest turn of events probably didn't help. She knew one thing for certain: no matter how tired he felt, he needed to eat. Maddie was no stranger to the signs of depression, she knew how debilitating it could be, and she wasn't going to let him fall into that hole, not in her house. "Oh honey, come on. You're going to look like a refugee soon if you don't have something." With just enough tenderness and manipulation, she knew she could get him to surrender.

"Okay, maybe a little." Sam broke from her and moved toward the dining room.

"Long time no see, Sammy. Hey, you want a beer?" Virgil spoke with an uncomfortable grin on his face.

"Sure."

"Alright, you just sit down, I'll get it for ya." Virgil moved to the refrigerator and picked out a bottle while Maddie finished dinner preparations. He turned and closed the space between them, and he spoke low. "What's wrong with him, Maddie? What happened to his girlfriend?"

"I don't know. Before you showed up he called and said he needed a place to stay for awhile. I'm hoping it's just overnight, that maybe they had a fight or something."

Virgil had a line of sight with the laundry room, and he saw three pieces of luggage on the floor in front of the washer and dryer. He tapped her with his elbow and cocked his head in that direction. "It looks to me like it's permanent. Like she kicked him out."

Maddie's eyes took in the sight and she blinked. "Well, if that's the case, he's staying."

The way she said it, Virgil knew there would be no discussion. He nodded. "I'll go keep Sammy company while you finish up in here. Let me know if you need anything."

"Put out another place setting for Sam?"

"You got it, sweet thing." He kissed her cheek and delivered the beer to Sam in the dining room. "Here you go, Sammy. I'll be right back."

By the time Virgil returned with a plate and silverware, Sam almost finished the bottle. Virgil lay the plate and cutlery on the table in front of him. That close, he smelled the alcohol and suspected that his friend already had a head start even before he arrived.

"You might wanna go easy there, boy." Virgil grimaced.

"It doesn't matter."

"We've been friends a long time, Sammy. It's pretty obvious that something major happened with you and Elsa." He sat across from him and tried a reassuring smile. "Why don't you get it off your chest? Maybe talking about it will make you feel better, sort things out a little."

"There's nothing to sort out. Plain and simple, she dumped me, Virg. She told me she couldn't be with me anymore."

His wet eyes and downtrodden expression told Virgil he might lose it at any moment. "Why, Sammy?"

Glancing at his friend, a wry smile crossed his face as he said, "That's what she called me, you know, Sammy, when she was all lovey. But it must have been a lie." His fuzzy brain loosened his tongue and he began to ramble. "She said she loved me. Then Card told her I was dead, and in less than a month, she found somebody else." He let out a deep sigh and rested his elbows on the table. "Boy, was I wrong about her. To her I was just a dinner companion and a nice tumble in the sheets. She never loved me."

"Are you sure you didn't misunderstand her?"

He propped up his head on one fist. "Pretty hard to misunderstand when she says, 'Sam, I want you to leave. There's someone else in my life now, because I thought you were dead'." He took a long drag on his beer. "If she'd really loved me like I loved her, don't you think she would have waited until my body was found? Elsa's got enough money, she could have sent out an expedition to find me, but she didn't. You know why? Because she didn't really care." He finished the bottle and set it down so it made a resounding thunk on the table. "Didn't let any grass grow under her feet, that's for sure."

"She couldn't have picked worse timing," Madeline grumbled as she entered the room and set a couple of dishes on the trivets in the center of the table. "Michael, Fiona, Sam and Jesse just got back from Panama last week." She reached out and smoothed his hair like she used to do to Michael or Nate when they were kids and were hurting, and she patted his back before returning to the kitchen for more dishes.

"Yeah, and the CIA had us locked up all that time doing debrief." Sam ran a hand over his face in a useless attempt to wipe away the memory. "I just got back to the hotel this afternoon, and when I went to see Elsa, that's when she dropped the bomb."

"That's harsh. Seems like she could have let you down a little easier." Virgil said as he winced at the pain written on Sam's face. "Did you at least keep the Cadillac?"

The grieving man snorted. "Are you kidding? I cleared my stuff out of the hotel right after I left her office and dropped off my keys at the front desk, including the ones for the Caddy. Letting go of that car physically hurt, but keeping it... well, that would only make it worse. Everything else she gave me fit into a cardboard box that I dropped off at the desk before I walked out."

"I know this doesn't help right now, son, but trust me, you'll find somebody better than her some day." Virgil did his best to help, and Maddie smiled at Virgil and clasped his hand.

"Nah, I'm through with women, Virg. Too many headaches and heartaches for a lifetime." He got up, retrieved another beer from the fridge, and drank it with his meal. He didn't take much to eat, but he had enough to make Maddie happy. After dinner, Sam begged off dessert and went to the spare room, and in a short time he was asleep.

Virgil took his luggage and set it in the room, then helped Maddie clean up the kitchen.

"He's better off without her." Maddie murmured.

"I know, but until he realizes that, he's gonna be hurting. He's lucky he has you to come to." Virgil smiled, laid a hand on her shoulder, and kissed her cheek. "How about we go take a little stroll before bed time?"

"I was going to unpack Sam's things for him."

"Don't worry. He can do that himself in the morning." He took her hand and led her toward the back door. "Come on, Madeline, he'll be fine. Don't worry."

When Virgil got that spark in his eye and gave her that grin, she found him irresistible. He was right, though. Sam was asleep, and if he woke, he could take care of himself. He was a big boy. But yet when one of her kids hurt, she couldn't help but hurt for them. Sam, Fiona, and Jesse had all been adopted as children in her mind, and she would never stop caring for them as long as she lived.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Michael pulled the Charger up to the hotel entrance and got out, and Fiona smiled as the valet opened her door and gave her a hand as she stood on the pavement. She joined Michael at the curb, watching while he handed over the keys. Then they entered and looked around the lobby, hoping to find Sam waiting.

"I thought we were supposed to meet here," Michael said as he slipped off his sunglasses and scanned the large area.

"That was the plan, and then we would go into the restaurant for breakfast." Fiona pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head, pulled out her cell phone, and dialed Sam's number. It rang and went to voicemail. She didn't leave a message, just closed it and stuffed it back into her hip pack. "He didn't pick up. Maybe he and Elsa were having too good a time last night." A sly smile crossed her face. "He's probably sleeping it off right now."

"We need to talk about our futures."

"I know that. Oh, look! There's Elsa. I'll go talk to her and see when Sam is coming down." Fiona hurried across the room with a friendly smile on her face. "Elsa. Elsa?"

Elsa stopped abruptly and stared at Fiona. For a moment, she had to think who this woman was. Fiona helped her jog her memory.

"I'm Fiona, remember me? Michael and I are friends of Sam's."

"Oh, yes, that's right." Elsa gave her a brief smile. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"We were supposed to meet Sam this morning in the lobby. Do you know when he'll be down?"

Elsa's uneasy expression deepened as she swallowed. "Sam isn't here. He and I... have parted ways. He left the hotel yesterday afternoon and I haven't seen him since. I don't know where he went." She nodded and started to move. "I need to go to my office."

Fiona reached out and stopped her with a hand clamped around her sleeve. "Parted ways? What does that mean?"

"We broke up. Simple as that." Her made up lips formed a thin line. "I'm sorry, I don't think I have to explain myself to you. Now, if you'll excuse me." Elsa easily broke away, leaving Fiona behind with a stunned expression.

Michael watched the exchange from a distance, unable to hear the conversation. When he saw Fiona frozen in place staring after Elsa as the other woman walked away, he approached her. "Fi, what's up?"

Fiona answered in a voice that sounded far away. "Elsa and Sam broke up. He's not here."

"Well, where could he be?" He paused as an idea formed in his head. "He went to my Ma's house, I bet."

"Most likely." Fiona looked up at him, her voice sounding forlorn. "Michael, why didn't he call?"

"I don't know. Let's go." His mouth set in a grim expression. "We need to find out what happened, because before we left the States, Sam said things were really serious between them. He was talking about getting his first marriage dissolved so he could marry Elsa." He turned on his heel and took long strides to get out of the hotel as fast as possible.

Fiona followed Michael, glancing around at the bustle of activity, the guests coming and going with no clue about the tragedy that occurred in the hotel the day before. She felt an ache in her chest for Sam. During more than a few Panamanian nights when they sat in the dark to avoid detection, he admitted to Fiona how much Elsa meant to him. Losing her had to be devastating, and coming so close on the heels of everything they'd endured in Central America... she couldn't even imagine what he was going through.

Michael drove down the side street and pulled into the driveway. Sam sat outside on the bottom step leading to the back door. He was pale and held his head in his hands, his eyes staring down at the pavement until he heard the car's distinctive growl. The sadness and betrayal in his eyes struck Michael. The last time he'd seen a look like that was when he pointed a gun at Sam's face and threatened to shoot him if he didn't get out of his way so he could find and take down Anson.

"Michael. That pickup truck..." Fiona spoke softly.

"Yeah, I know. It's Virgil's." He let out a heavy sigh. "Like we didn't have enough to worry about with Sam. Look at him, Fi. He's completely destroyed." A lump formed in his throat, feeling for his friend.

Fiona muttered. "I knew I should have done some bodily harm when Elsa walked away from me."

"Hey, now let's take it easy. We're on Sam's side, but it won't help if we threaten Elsa around him. Despite how he's feeling, he'll defend her."

Fiona glanced at him and pouted. "I hate it when you're right." She opened the car door, slammed it a little harder than necessary, and crossed the yard to join Sam.

Michael turned off the car and got out. Fiona gave Sam a hug and sat on the step with him. Michael stopped, reached out a hand and clasped Sam's. "I'm sorry, Sam. We found out this morning."

"Ohhh, the meeting at the hotel. I forgot all about that." He rubbed his forehead. "Did you see Elsa? What did she say?"

"Don't worry about it. We've got other things to worry about right now." He glanced up at the screen. Through it, he heard Virgil's voice followed by Maddie's, and she laughed at something he said.

"Sorry, Mike. Virgil was already here when I arrived last night." He stood and formed a barrier between his friend and the house. "I know how you feel about him, but he really loves Maddie. He came back for her, and he's going to stick around for awhile." The corner of his mouth twitched up. "I was pretty out of it last night, but that's one thing that came through loud and clear."

"But he's dangerous..."

"No more dangerous than you are, Mike. Or Fi or me." He looked into Michael's eyes and saw the anger conflicting with reason.

Michael stood down. Sam was right, and he knew it. He backed off a step and flexed his hands until the tension flowed away.

"They obviously love each other, Michael." Fiona offered a bit of wisdom. She smiled. "I think it's beautiful that your mother has found someone to love, and I'm glad that Virgil decided that his feelings for Madeline were worth having to deal with your wrath."

"She's got a point, Mike. A guy has to have a lotta love for your Ma to go up against you." Sam's mouth slanted into a crooked grin.

No one said anything for a few moments. Michael was lost in thought. When he came home several years ago, not by choice, his mother needed him badly. She was a mental wreck and neglected. Over the past few years Michael and Maddie weathered a lot, including Nate's death, and she and Michael became the mother and son that they should have been so long ago. He truly loved her and only wanted what was best for her, to the point that he would threaten anyone who dared to hurt her.

"He better not be on the run from someone he owed money to or did a job for that went wrong. If my mom gets hurt, I'll kill him myself."

Sam spoke. "Mike, I might be a mess right now, but one thing I know for sure: Virgil would rather die than let anything happen to your mom."

Maddie's face appeared in the kitchen window and she waved to him to come inside.

With a deep exhalation, Michael said, "Well, I guess we should go in and say 'hi' to Virgil." He put on a grin, but Fiona and Sam knew it didn't match his emotions.

"Michael!" Maddie hugged him as soon as he entered the house.

He accepted the hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad to see you, Mom." He looked over her shoulder and acknowledged Virgil with a nod. "Virgil, it's been awhile."

"I know what you're thinkin', Mike. You know how I feel about your mama, and I ain't gonna hurt her, or let her be hurt." His eyes showed his seriousness as he said, "I swear on my life."

"Good. Not that I like it, but, well, I suppose everybody deserves a second chance." He glanced at his mother, hoping that she knew what she was getting into with Virgil.

Maddie's grin grew until it seemed like her face would split if she tried to show her happiness any more. "We were just about to have breakfast. Virgil made it, it's called Breakfast Surprise!" She laughed. "Doesn't that sound interesting?"

"Intriguing," Michael said with little enthusiasm. He allowed Maddie to push them toward the dining room table. He and Fiona sat on one end where Virgil put place settings for them. Sam took the same seat he had the night before, and Virgil sat across from him to Maddie's right.

To everyone's surprise, breakfast was good and so was the conversation. The five talked about the future and what Michael and Fiona planned to do.

"We're taking a little time off," Fiona answered. "We might go go Paris." She glanced at Michael with hope in her eyes. "When we come back, we're going to continue helping people."

"No more CIA?" Virgil asked. "Shoot, after all you went through to get back in, I'd think you'd wanna head up to Langley ASAP."

"I thought so too," Michael said. He pushed his fork around the remainder of egg on his plate. "But the more Jesse and I talked, the more he made me realize that helping people was a lot more satisfying than working for the government."

"Not to mention the fact that you never know who in the government is going to betray you," Sam piped up. "This time it was Card. Who knows if there's someone else out there who wants to try to destroy you."

"Sam. Not everyone is like Elsa," Maddie said softly, her voice full of emotion, as she laid a hand on Sam's sitting idly beside his plate. She looked down at how much he'd left. Granted, he took more than he did last night, but he still wasn't eating the way he should.

"She's got nothing to do with this." Sam said it so coldly, her eyes shot up to his. In an instant, he turned off the emotions and addressed Michael. "So, if you're going back to helping the little guy, do you need help?"

"Of course," Michael replied with a smile.

"Great! We should probably go legit then, set up a business and all that. I can take care of it for you. Or us. Depends on how you want to run this."

Michael glanced at Fiona, and his eyes locked on hers. "Fi and I will talk about that part, and as soon as we decide, we'll let you know."

"But first we want to go to Paris." She added with a smile, causing everyone, even Sam, to laugh.

"The girl's got a one-track mind, Michael. You better take her to Paris," Virgil advised with a wink and a smile at Fiona. She rewarded him with a smile and a blush on her cheeks. "But first, I got an idea. Why don't we guys all go on my boat fishing this afternoon?"

"Fishing?" Michael stared at him.

"Sure, Mike. It'll be fun! It'll give you a chance to get some sun and fresh air, and you and I can maybe get to know each other a little better," Virgil explained.

"I think I know enough about you."

"Well, Sammy wants to go, dontcha?"

"Huh, me?" By the surprised look on his face, everyone knew he'd been lost in his thoughts.

"It'll do you some good too, to get out there and fight one of those big boys. Remember how we used to do that?"

That was decades ago, but Sam could never forget the fun he and Virgil had deep sea fishing with a couple friends, a cooler of beer, and lots of sunscreen. "Yeah, that might be kinda nice. Come on, Mikey. The girls can spend some time doing something. I don't know what."

Seeing his friend with a spark of enthusiasm for something inspired Michael. "Okay, we'll go fishing this afternoon. Fi, will you and Ma be okay alone?"

Fiona gave him a look. "Really, Michael. Like you have to ask."

"There's this cute little boutique that opened while you were gone, Fiona. I can't wait to show it to you!" Maddie grinned. She got out of her seat and gathered up plates. "I'll make some sandwiches for you boys in case you get hungry on the boat, and then you can go."

Michael raised his eyebrows. With a low tone, he said, "She can't get rid of us fast enough."

"I heard that, Michael!" Maddie returned for another load. "I just want you all to have some guy time, that's all." She ruffled his hair as she walked past.

Fiona smiled and her shoulders shook while she tried to stifle her laughter. Sobering, she stood and took some of the plates. "I'll help Madeline clear this up. You boys go get ready."

"I've got plenty of gear on the boat," Virgil said.

"I think my rods are still in Maddie's garage," Sam said. "I'll go check."

"Don't worry, Mike, I have plenty for you too." Virgil assured him.

Michael really wasn't worried. If he did nothing but sit around all day on the boat, at least he was making his mother happy. His main concern was Sam. He would keep an eye on him, and if he felt like talking, Michael would be there for him. He didn't know what he would say, since he'd never been in a situation like this before. At least when Fiona dumped him a few years back, he was agreeable to it because he only wanted her to be happy, when in fact it made her even more unhappy. She came back, and neither of them talked again about breaking their bond. For Sam and Elsa that wasn't an option. She'd moved on and had no intention of coming back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The breeze on the ocean was cool. Fall was definitely in the air, although in south Florida all that meant was that the temperatures would eventually become bearable. All three brought jackets just in case, but the warm sun combatted with the air temperature and made the day pleasant.

Virgil consulted the GPS and the shipping lane charts before dropping anchor. "This is a great place to fish. Let's see if we get lucky today." He set up a few poles and let Michael choose where he wanted to settle in to work them. He took the starboard side, Sam parked on the port, and Virgil sat in the center with a couple of feet of space between them. The men didn't talk much. Just being out on the peaceful ocean, the boat undulating on the wide four foot waves with salt on the breeze and a few seagulls screeching overhead was enough to calm the soul.

He heard a sigh like a weight was falling away from Sam's shoulders. He glanced at him. "Feelin' better, son?"

"Sort of. I just keep trying to tell myself that I'm better off without Elsa, but then I think of everything I had with her, and I'm back to square one."

"What did you have?" Michael asked with a hint of cynicism in his voice. "If you take away the car, a free place to live, clothes, food, and sex, what's left?"

Sam stared at him as if he'd gone crazy. "I loved her, Mikey. You know that."

"I'm sorry, Sam, but... oh, never mind." Michael waved a hand.

"No, you're right. I have nothing without Elsa. She owned my heart and stomped on it so bad, I can't imagine ever falling in love again." He swallowed and looked toward the horizon where the Miami high rises could just barely be seen. If he looked carefully, he might see her hotel. "Love hurts too much. You guys are taking a big chance. Well, maybe not you, Mike. We all know that Fi's nuts about you."

"Now hold on there, Sammy. Maddie's crazy about me too, you know."

Sam turned a cynical expression on Virgil. "I sure hope you're right about that." Deep down he knew better, but it was easier to throw a damper on Virgil's happiness than to admit he was jealous of his friends. A line required his attention, so he turned away to play it. He came up with nothing in the end. Under his breath, he muttered. "Typical."

With a new piece of bait on his line, Sam cast out for a new prospect. The filament whirred as it unspooled and flew over the open water. He loved that sound. Yet he detected something like a shrieking over it. He stood and scanned the horizon in all directions.

"You guys hear that?"

An even staccato of bangs got their attention. Michael stood up on his side and looked around. "I heard that."

Virgil got out of his seat and stepped up to the helm. He picked up a pair of binoculars and turned in a slow circle to try to locate something, anything, that might be the source of that sound. "I think that was gunfire, boys."

If there was any doubt, the three heard more shooting and suddenly a loud boom pierced the air and an orange and yellow fireball rolled up into the sky south east of their location.

"There. That's gotta be only a couple miles away," Sam exclaimed as he pointed to the rolling smoke.

"Get those lines in! We're going to check it out," Virgil yelled as he started up the engine. He grabbed the anchor line and pulled it in while Michael and Sam took care of the fishing lines. By the time he was done the two sat in their seats ready to go.

Virgil sped across the water in a straight line toward the flaming wreckage. Sam joined him up in the tower, and he used the binoculars to look for anyone in the water. "What do you think happened?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out when we get there."

Sam sensed Michael standing beside him and he gave him the binoculars. "That sucker really blew up. What do you think, Mike? Accident?"

"Not with gunfire, if that's what we heard. Virgil, be careful as you get closer. There are one, two, three... four bodies in the water."

"Okay, how far from the other boat?"

Michael took the glasses away. "Couple hundred yards, I'd say."

"Alrighty." As the boat neared the burning craft, Virgil slowed to a crawl. Pieces of what once was a yacht floated around the area. He pulled up alongside one body floating face down.

"He's dead." Michael reported. As Virgil came up on each one, Michael checked. "I think they're all dead, Virgil."

"Hey, wait a second, there's one over here on a piece of debris," Sam shouted from the port side. "Get closer, Virgil!"

A small explosion rocked the boat as what was left of the yacht burned furiously. Virgil's boat pitched toward port, and Sam took the opportunity to leap out and swim for the person who clung to the debris.

"Sam! Be careful!" Michael yelled at him and watched Sam use his strong strokes to catch up to the piece of the yacht that kept the person afloat. "Virgil, can you get closer?"

"I sure can, Mike." Virgil turned the wheel and moved the throttle slightly, just enough to move the boat toward Sam. He drifted again when he got within a few yards.

Sam reached the floating piece of a seat and found a woman draped over it. Her long hair covered her face like seaweed. He treaded water and pulled the strands away from her neck to check for a pulse. He was relieved to find one, although it was weak.

"Sam, we're coming up behind you," Michael said to warn him.

He turned around and saw the boat only a couple yards away. The woman was unconscious, for which he was grateful. He didn't need a scared victim fighting him all the way to the boat. Sam pried her off the seat, flipped her onto her back, and hooked an arm around her midsection to take her to the boat. Michael and Virgil waited and hauled her aboard first, laid her on the deck, and pulled Sam out of the water.

"Thanks," he said. "Virgil you better get us back to land as quick as you can." He knelt down beside the woman. She was dressed in cargo pants and a tight fitting shirt. She wore a belt around her waist with compartments for ammunition and a gun holster that was empty. But Sam was more concerned with her health at the moment than to notice what she wore, or even what she looked like. A gash along her hairline bled profusely. He moved enough hair out of the way to have better access.

"Virgil, where's your med kit," Michael asked.

Virgil replied, "Down below under the galley sink."

Michael nodded. He returned with the pack, found supplies for stemming the bleeding and wrapping up the head wound, and he went to work while Sam checked the rest of her for injuries.

"Looks like she got shot in the leg," Sam remarked with little emotion as he used a scissors to cut the outer side of her right pant leg. He exposed the limb and a gaping wound at the back of her thigh. "She's lucky it didn't go through the bone."

"No exit wound."

"Yeah. So it's still in there." Sam put on some gloves and probed the opening. She writhed underneath him and groaned, but the woman didn't regain consciousness. "I can feel it in there. She was real lucky."

"Can you extract it," Michael asked.

"Before we reach land," Sam replied with a cocky smile.

By the time Virgil parked in his reserved slip, Sam removed the bullet and worked on stopping the bleeding with some stitches and a pressure bandage. Michael pulled a couple of blankets from the living quarters below and he and Sam wrapped her in them before taking her to the Charger.

"Shouldn't we just call an ambulance," Virgil asked.

Sam climbed in back with the woman while Michael stood outside the car. He laid his arm on the window and replied, "Someone was shooting out there. We don't know if they were shooting at her or what. So until we know what was going on, we're not taking any chances. If someone wants her dead they could easily locate her at a hospital."

"Well, where are we taking her, then?"

"I vote for Maddie's. She can have the spare bed and Virg and I will keep an eye on her," Sam declared from the back seat. He sat with the woman's legs situated in his lap. "Come on, whatever we're gonna do, we have to move. I don't like her pulse rate, guys."

"Okay, we'll take her to Madeline's. Just let me secure the boat, and we'll go."

Fiona and Maddie were still out shopping when the men arrived at her house. Michael unlocked the door and Sam carried her inside.

"We should get those clothes off her before we put her into bed," Virgil suggested. "Otherwise, the bed'll get all wet."

"Yeah, good idea. Mike does your mom have anything we can change her into?" Sam looked up at him. He and Virgil knelt on the floor with the woman between them.

"I'm sure I can find something. Be right back."

He felt like he should be doing something more, but Michael knew that both Sam and Virgil had more field medicine experience than he did. Still, it wasn't like he couldn't have handled it. Both men were from the same branch of service and worked together for a long time, so it was only natural that the two banded together to help the woman. He ran upstairs and found a nightgown that was too big in the shoulders but on the short side. It didn't matter. It was good enough to cover her.

Michael returned just as Maddie and Fiona walked into the dining room. The women looked at Michael, their gaze moving down to the fabric in his hands and back up to his wide eyes.

"Ma! Fi!"

"Michael, what were you doing in my drawers," Maddie asked, causing his cheeks to heat up.

"We found a woman out on the sea, the boat she was on blew up, and I needed something to dress her in." He stopped to catch a breath.

"Where is she?" Fiona asked.

Sam and Virgil came out of the room and saw the two. Virgil grinned. "You ladies couldn't have come at a better time! You mind going in there and getting our guest out of her wet clothes and into something else?"

Fiona arched an eyebrow, but she moved toward the room. She looked in, turned around and said, "I think she might fit into something of mine." Going to the dining room table where she dropped her shopping bags, Fiona rifled around in one until she found a new baby doll pajama set she bought that day. "Yes, I think this'll do just fine. Excuse me, gentlemen."

"Yes, excuse us." Maddie dropped her bags on the table and followed Fiona into the room.

"Boy, that was good timing, wasn't it." Virgil said to Sam, who wore a contemplative look on his face. "What's wrong, Sammy?"

"Uh, nothing, Virg. Let's just let the ladies in there, and then we can take care of this woman."

Fiona and Maddie dressed her and Sam placed her in bed. He took care of stabilizing her while Virgil joined Michael to tell the women how they came upon her. Fiona nodded and asked questions, but Maddie sat dumbstruck. Here the three had just come back from one of the most harrowing experiences of their lives, and trouble found them again within a few days. If it were her, she would be angry. The others treated it as if it was another puzzle to be solved. Just another day at the office.

Sam continued to study the woman when he wasn't monitoring her vitals or keeping track of the bag of fluids slowly dripping into her arm. She was at least fifty but her long, wavy hair was dark brown, and she had a peachy skin tone, although her cheeks were slightly flushed from an elevated temperature. She had brown eyes the color of dark chocolate truffles, which Sam knew because he saw them when he checked her pupil reaction. He sat back and looked down at her, and his heart skipped a beat when the image floated into his mind of the last time he saw her over thirty years ago.

"No, it can't be you." He whispered. "Amanda..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

He was afraid to tell Michael. Maybe it was denial, his imagination, or he was just desperate after Elsa's rejection. Yeah, he'd have to be really hard up to think that Amanda, his sort-of ex, would suddenly appear out of nowhere and land in his arms. His grief must have taken a bigger toll than he expected. Sam struggled to get comfortable in the chair in the corner and tried to focus on a magazine and not the woman in the bed. But it was like telling a person not to look at the sun. Someone knocked on the door frame, and he was thankful for the intrusion.

Maddie poked her head inside and announced, "Dinner is just about ready."

He sat up straight and stopped staring at the woman, looking guilty for having been caught. "Oh, okay. Thanks, Maddie."

She studied him with intense eyes. She could tell something was bothering him, but she deflected with an observation. "You know you never changed out of your wet clothes. Did you want to get cleaned up before we eat?"

"Yeah. I suppose so." He glanced at the unconscious woman again. Every time he looked at her, he became more convinced that she was Amanda. And every time, his mind fought the conviction.

"I'll stay and watch if you're worried about her."

"No! No, that's okay. She's sleeping and I don't expect she'll wake up for awhile. She lost a lot of blood and she's fighting a fever right now. It's just going to take some time for her to regain her strength." Sam got up, grabbed some clean clothes, and retreated to the bathroom.

"How's she doing, Sam," Michael asked. He didn't respond, and Michael shrugged his shoulders at Fiona.

"He's got a lot on his mind right now." Fiona looked up from the table she was setting and watched Sam rush to the bathroom.

If only they knew! Sam ducked under the hot spray and scrubbed the salt out of his hair. Trying to recover from losing one love while having an ex fall into his lap was too much! He was unsure of how to react. At the moment, blocking Elsa out of his mind and focusing on Amanda's well being seemed to be the best course of action. Later on, when Amanda awoke and freaked out when she saw him, he would have to cope with that. He was good at thinking on his feet when he was in a normal crisis. He would have to be sure to get into one of those as soon as possible.

"We should probably take turns watching her," Virgil suggested when the group sat down for dinner. "Sammy, I can take over for you."

"That's okay, I can do it."

"That's why Fi and I are still here. We want to help."

Sam looked up at Michael. "You'd be better off trying to figure out who she really is and what she was doing on that boat."

His friend's words caused something to twitch inside of Michael. Who she really is? Sam knew something about this woman, or at least he thought he did. He searched his eyes, but Sam could close himself off quite well when he wanted to. That made Michael even more suspicious. After dinner, he would have a little chat with Sam to get the truth. The women picked up the dishes and cleaned up, and Virgil took a turn keeping watch over their patient. That left Sam and Michael with nothing to do. Perfect. I can take him outside and talk, and he can get off his chest whatever's bugging him without anyone else listening.

"Hey, Sam, let's go for a walk." He tugged on Sam's short sleeve and leaned toward the back door.

"I don't need to go for a walk."

"But I do. I just wanna bounce something off you."

Sam looked at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes, but he nodded and followed Michael out of the house. The two were half way down the block before either of them said anything.

"There's something about that woman, isn't there, Sam? You think you know who she is."

Glancing at Michael, he knew it was useless to deny it. He let out a deep sigh and said, "Mike, that woman, I think it's Amanda. My ex, the one I never divorced. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's her."

Michael let out a long whistle. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Yeah, you and me both, brother. I've been staring at her ever since we got her settled in, and every time I look at her, I'm certain that it's Amanda."

"We'll get some prints off her and run them through the government databases. Hopefully we'll get a hit somewhere."

"Yeah, and if I'm right? What then? We have to find out why she was on that boat and why someone tried to kill her." Sam shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense. The last time I saw Amanda was in Virginia. We were married a little over six months, and we lived in this cute little cottage that we rented near the base. I hardly ever saw it, though. I was gone so much..." He sighed again. "When I was home it was for a little while and we'd have to get reacquainted all over again. It got to be more of a marriage for blowing off sexual tension and nothing more. It was easier that way for both of us, I guess. Ah, no, it wasn't for her. That's why she left. She wanted more, and I couldn't give it to her." He kicked at some grass growing up through a broken sidewalk. "Sorry, Mike. It's not like you really wanna hear about that."

"It's okay, Sam. It certainly sheds some light on why so many of your relationships have been pretty shallow."

"Gee, thanks." He snorted. Then he looked at Michael. "You think that's what it really was with Elsa? Did she want more? Hell, I don't know what else I could give! I loved her. She knew that." As he ranted, he walked half facing Michael. "Was it my fault I couldn't pay for dinner all the time? If I did, we wouldn't have been eating in the style to which she was accustomed, that's for sure." He faced forward again and stared at the changing colors in the sky as the sun went down. "I tried to give her everything that money couldn't buy, Mike, but I guess that just wasn't good enough."

"Maybe you need to stop looking for super rich overbearing women and just find a nice down-to-earth one who'll love you for who you are. So what if you can't sleep in three billion count thread sheet sets and drive gold plated Cadillacs?"

"Exaggeration, Mikey. Cute." Sam laughed, and Michael joined in. "Seriously, you're probably right. For now, though, let's just get through this crisis with Amanda..."

"Or whoever she is," Michael interrupted.

"Yeah. Let's get over this and then I'll worry about the next woman. If there'll be another."

"There will be. No way you can survive without one, Sam." Michael clamped a hand on his shoulder as he spoke. "If it's worth anything, whenever you're with a woman you really care about, it changes you for the better."

"Yeah, well get used to bad me, because Sammy the lover boy is on permanent vacation."

With the mystery woman sleeping in the guest room, Michael and Sam restored the garage to a temporary apartment for Sam. Fortunately, it didn't take much work, but after spending the day fishing, rescuing the woman, taking care of her medical needs, and setting up a place for himself, Sam was beat. He hit the sheets and was out in no time. In his dreams he found Amanda the way he remembered her in a yellow sundress and her hair cascading around her shoulders blown about haphazardly by the wind, and Elsa in her expensive designer suit and perfectly coiffed wind-proof hair.

The women fought it out in a boxing type ring while he watched from the sidelines with a beer and a tub of popcorn. But then they stopped, looked at each other, and stared down at Sam in tandem. Neither of them said a word, but he backed away, afraid of the blood in their eyes. The sound of a gun going off woke him from his nightmare.

He sat up, held his breath, and waited for another shot. Why he should expect more than one, he had no idea. His hand slipped under the pillow for his gun and he waited. There was no other sound other than the crickets and tree frogs. He lay down again, but he couldn't relax. He slipped into a pair of jeans and a shirt and put on some flip flops, then he opened the side door with caution before leaving the garage.

The back door of Maddie's house was locked, but Sam had a key. He opened the door and went inside. No one was awake. He checked every room downstairs with a flashlight and his gun at the ready. Michael lay on the couch sleeping. He backtracked to the spare bedroom and found Fiona sleeping in the chair and Amanda lying peacefully asleep in bed. I have to stop thinking it's her until we know for sure! He shook his head. Sam tiptoed to the door to the upstairs room, opened it with care to avoid the creaks and squeaks, and he listened. He heard the consistent pattern of two people breathing. That eased his mind. What he heard must have been something else, not a gunshot.

He did hear the sound of a semi-automatic pistol's safety coming from the couch. "It's just me, Mike, don't shoot." He spoke softly.

"Sam! What are you doing?" Michael whispered.

"Never mind. Thought I heard something. Night." Sam hurried back to bed before Michael could ask any more questions, and he prayed for a dreamless, restful sleep.

Sam's turn to watch her came around again late in the afternoon the next day, but before then he spent time calling his cop buddies, sending prints to the FBI, and doing whatever he could to determine who she was. Part of him hoped he was wrong. He was waiting for some answers when it was time to go into the room.

"How's she been, Maddie?"

"Her temperature is down, almost normal. Now and then she stirs like she's going to come out of it, but she hasn't yet." She looked down at the woman with pity. "Do you really think it was a good idea not to take her to the hospital?"

"Yes. Mike is looking into the incident with the yacht. He said he has a lead, so he and Fi are going after it. You, Virgil, and I might be alone for awhile."

"That's okay. We can handle it." She smiled and patted Sam's arm. "If you need anything, let me know."

"Thanks, Maddie." Sam lowered himself into the chair and rested his laptop over his crossed leg. He was waiting for an e-mail from Agent Harris at the FBI. He ran the prints and came up with nothing in the crime files, but on a hunch he decided to check out other records he had access to. A new e-mail came in. Sam smiled when he saw the return address. Agent Harris found something. He opened it, and he clicked on the attachment. It was a personnel file, and not just any personnel file. It was for an NSA operative named Amanda Gaines. The name was like a sucker punch to the gut, and he held his breath until he scrolled down to the picture. It was her. The woman in the bed.

A part of him still didn't want to believe it. He set his laptop on the dresser and knelt beside the bed to study her. With her color returning to normal, she looked more like herself if she was indeed Amanda. In her sleep, it almost seemed as if three decades faded away. He dared to reach out and cup her cheek with his hand and with his thumb he traced a thin laugh line that led to her lips. Then he remembered something: if it was there, he would have absolute proof whether she was his Amanda or not. His hand hovered over her to the edge of the covers. He had no business... but technically, she was still his wife, if she was in fact Amanda. Besides, he was doing this strictly to confirm her identity.

Sam built up his courage. He listened and heard Maddie and Virgil talking outside. He was alone with her, and no one else would see. His fingertips slipped over the silky strands that fastened the front of the top. He considered untying them, but tying them later would take too much time and maybe wake her. He pulled the covers down just enough to grasp the hem of the top and pull it upward. He hoped that maybe Fiona and Maddie left her bra on, but he could see through the filmy material that they hadn't. He spied the underside of her right bare breast and he looked just long enough to see that the curved, jagged scar was still there off toward the center of her chest. Sam let out a breath he'd been holding, closed his eyes, and dropped her top to where it had been.

His cheeks felt like they were flaming as he covered her. He had to get out of there now, grab a beer or something, and douse his embarrassment. Sam escaped, tore open the fridge and pulled out a beer. He almost scraped his palm twisting off the cap, and he gulped a good third of it. He stood leaning against the sink, watching Maddie and Virgil snuggling in the shadows of the umbrella table. When he finished his beer and felt as if he'd sufficiently cooled down, Sam returned to the bedroom.

The sheets rustled. She was beginning to rouse, and he sat in the chair to wait. Then she opened those beautiful brown eyes full of confusion and focused on him.

"Amanda?" He hesitated, uncertain of what to say after so long. He leaned forward in the chair so she could see him better. "Amanda, honey, it's Sammy."

"Do I know you?"

Her lack of recognition hurt worse than seeing her name in the file.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"You're sure this is your wife Amanda?" Michael stared at Sam, still unable to believe it was true.

"Mike, there's no getting around it. Fingerprints don't lie!" Sam paced in the garage apartment, his fingers raking through his hair as he spoke. "She's NSA, Mike! That's what I don't get. How did she wind up with them?"

"How old was Amanda when you last saw her? Do you know anything about where she went, what she did after she left you?"

"I don't know." He stopped in the middle of the floor and did a mental calculation. "We were young, practically kids when we got married. She was twenty when she left, and I don't know anything about her after that. She'd be about fifty two now. Wow, I can't even imagine her being that old, but then I picture her in there..."

Michael thought about the woman who was now awake and conversing with Fiona, probably puzzled as to why the man she woke up to left in such a hurry. "She looks like she's that age."

"But she doesn't remember me, or her name, or anything." He let out a groan and sat with Michael at a small round table. "What am I gonna do, Mikey?" He jammed his elbows onto the surface and buried his head in his hands.

Michael gave him a soft smile. "Just be yourself, Sam. Don't press her to try to remember, she'll recall things on her own. If you start feeding her information, she'll think it's true..."

"But it is true!"

Michael continued as if Sam hadn't interrupted him. "When her memory returns, if it doesn't match with what she's been told, it'll be confusing. You know that."

"Yeah. It's gonna be hard to call her 'hey you' when I have a name that matches a set of prints and a face. And that scar."

"Okay, so maybe you can call her Amanda. But that's it. Don't tell her about your relationship."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, okay, I think I can do that."

Sitting deep in thought for a moment, Michael said, "Maybe you shouldn't be here. Go to the loft and stay away until this is resolved."

"No way, Mike!" Sam banged his fist on the table and stood, towering over him. "I failed Amanda once. I'm not abandoning her and failing her again. You read me?"

Michael gauged the emotion in Sam's eyes and worried that he was on overload and wasn't thinking clearly. "I read you. Just be careful and watch your emotions. Don't let what happened with Elsa and the past with Amanda bleed into what you do for her now."

"Understood." Sam glanced at his watch. "I should probably get back in there and take my shift again. Either that or I'll cook."

Before Michael could respond, Sam was gone and the screen door slapped against the frame to announce his return to the house. He let out a breath and wondered how nothing ever seemed to be simple in his life.

"Sam." Fiona looked up at his silhouette standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, Fi, I had to talk to Mike about something. I can take over." He moved into the room and his eyes locked on Amanda. She looked much better than when they found her. Despite the irrefutable proof, part of him still wanted to deny that it was his Amanda. He gave her a friendly smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. I just wish I could remember who I am and what brought me here." She glanced at Fiona. "Fiona told me how you and your friends rescued me. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Fiona interrupted. "Sam, I'm going to help Madeline with dinner."

"Okay." He let her slip past and returned his attention to Amanda.

She asked. "Why didn't you take me to a hospital?"

Sam knew she was growing uneasy. He recalled like it was yesterday the way her brow always bunched up and her eyes would grow stormy when she became anxious. Taking a chance, he slipped onto the edge of the bed in one smooth move and his hand slid over hers. It wasn't as soft as he remembered. The fact that he could even recall that left him dumbfounded. His fingers worked their way under her palm and he felt the roughness. Whatever she'd been doing the past thirty plus years, it involved a lot of working with her hands.

"Amanda, it's okay. You're safe here, safer than you'd be at the hospital."

"Why do you say that?" Her voice rose in pitch as her brows knit together. She shifted and she winced at the pain.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked with concern in his tone and his expression. He tried to reach back into his memory to a time when he comforted Amanda and put her at ease, but he came up empty. No wonder she left. He hadn't been much of a husband to her.

Amanda saw the look on his face change from caring to disappointment. She wondered what brought that on. She didn't know this man, although he seemed to know her name at least. The woman, Fiona, called her Amanda too. She didn't feel like an Amanda. She wasn't sure what she felt like, other than sore and disoriented. Too tired to think about it, she closed her eyes.

"Do you need anything?"

She opened her eyes again and stared at him. "What?"

"Are you hungry? Dinner should be ready soon."

"No thanks. I'm not feeling well right now."

The empathetic set to his face was back again. He sat in the chair beside her bed and his fingers ran over the bandage on her temple. His palm rested on her forehead. She took in the scent of something on his skin that triggered a spark in her brain. She'd smelled it before. Some kind of cologne. At the moment she was too tired to figure it out because she had more important things to consider, like this stranger's hands moving over her body, checking her pulse and other vitals. He was experienced, yet she felt as if he used an extra special tenderness in dealing with her. She wished she knew why.

Opening her eyes again, Amanda found him leaning over to check the IV bag hanging from the wall. The hem of his Hawaiian shirt grazed her fingers, and she sensed its silky softness. That too set off another flash, but it was gone before she could grab it and hold on.

"I thought you were going to sleep again," he said with a crooked smile.

"No. I think I've had enough of that. I want to know what I'm missing. I want to know who I am."

"Don't try to figure everything out in one day. You need your rest more than your identity right now." He returned to the chair and kept his attention on her.

Amanda licked her lips. "I'm thirsty."

"I'll get you some water. Be right back." He left the room.

Amanda heard him talking with someone in low tones. A floorboard squeaked, and then water ran. He returned with a glass and a sweet smile on his face. She watched his every move as he set the glass on the night stand, put his arms around her midsection to help her sit up against some pillows, and brought the glass to her.

"I can take it." She reached for the glass and wrapped her hand around it, then drank half of it. "Thank you."

"No problem, Amanda." He returned the glass to the night stand.

"What's your name?"

"What?" He looked at her with alarm in his eyes.

"Your name. I know Fiona and Madeline. And... oh, that older man..."

"Virgil."

"Yes, Virgil." She grinned. "He's kind of cute the way he talks to Maddie. I can tell he really loves her. It's so sweet."

Sam snickered. "Yeah, it's pretty obvious. Have you met Mike?"

"The dark haired guy?" She nodded. "Yeah, he popped in here for a minute." Her brow creased. "He's awfully serious, isn't he. Very concerned about what's going on, why I was on some boat."

"You have good hearing."

She nodded. "I heard him talking to Fiona about a boat that I was on." She took another sip of water. "So, I know everyone else. What's your name?"

"It's... it's Sam, Amanda. Sam Axe." Strange that he felt as jittery as the first time they met, and he probably wore the same goofy smile, too.

She smiled, an indulgent little tip up of the corners of her mouth. Almost exactly like the time they met. He saw the whole scene right before him, and he would have let himself be carried away by it if it weren't for Amanda's voice bringing him back to the present.

"Sam. Sam?"

"Yeah, I was listening."

She laughed and her smile showed her slightly crooked eye tooth. There was no question in his mind anymore that this was his Amanda. That just left the other mysteries. Why was she a member of the NSA, and what led to her being on that boat with an empty holster and men with guns?

"You're like a million miles away. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Sorry, you... you just remind me of someone from my past, that's all." He continued to smile at her and his hand unconsciously moved to caress her arm.

"Good memories, I hope." She sensed his touch, and she gently pulled his hand from her upper arm.

"Sorry." He shook his head and stood. He muttered, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Excuse me, Amanda." He spun on the ball of his foot and rushed out of the room, barreling into Virgil on his way out.

"Sam? What's wrong?" Virgil looked after him. The screen door slammed and he shook his head. "I don't know what's gotten into him, Maddie. I swear, that Elsa woman dumping him has got him all loco."

Amanda didn't know Sam personally, but from the little interaction she had with him she knew that he was a kind man. The way he touched her spoke of his tenderness. He was probably a very loving man, too, and any woman who left him had to be loco herself. She felt a stab of sympathy for him.

"Hey, darlin', how're ya doin'?" Virgil came in, making her forget about Sam and his troubles. Virgil brought her a tray and she ate some, and later Fiona returned with magazines for her to read if she felt inclined. Maddie came to visit, and even Michael came around for awhile. Unfortunately, he only wanted to test her faulty brain and see if she remembered anything. But Sam never came back.

"Did I say something to offend him?"

"What?" Fiona asked as she straightened the sheet and covers after helping her get out of bed to use the bathroom.

"Sam. Did I say something? He hasn't been back since..." Amanda swallowed some of the water. "He mumbled something about this not being a good idea, and he took off."

Fiona flapped her hand and gave Amanda a reassuring smile. "Oh, he's just dealing with something personal right now."

"Elsa?" She watched the smile disappear from Fiona's face.

"How do you know Elsa?"

Amanda shrugged. "I just heard people talking about her."

"Ah. I see." Fiona nodded. "I don't think Sam would like knowing that everyone's discussing his business behind his back. But we are his friends, and we're worried about him."

"That's really sweet. I wonder if I have any friends who are concerned about me right now."

Michael knocked on the door of Sam's makeshift apartment, and Sam's head came up from his hand. On the laptop screen was Amanda's NSA file. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, Mikey."

Michael sat next to Sam and his eyes scanned the page. "Amanda's been asking for you."

"I can't do it, Mike. I can't go back in there. I know I said I wasn't gonna abandon her again, but it brings everything back and I just can't deal with that right now."

"I understand, but she seems to be connecting with you more than all of us. She needs someone she can trust. I think she's picked you."

Sam hung his head, an ironic smile on his face. "Is that all it took was a good hit on the noggin for her to trust me?" He wiped the expression away with a shake of his head. "I know trust was just one of many issues in our relationship. This is so hard, Mike." He turned to his friend, his eyes moist and a look of agony on his face. "I don't think I can go in there and pretend that there's nothing, no history between us, when I keep remembering all the things that attracted me to her in the first place."

Michael puffed out his cheeks and let out a stream of air. Then he met Sam's eyes. "You still love her, don't you."

Sam hesitated. "It's complicated."

Leaning closer like he was interrogating a prisoner, Michael spoke. "Just answer the question. Do you love Amanda or not?"

Sam clamped his lips together as if he could keep the emotions in check while he sorted through them. A memory came back to him of his buddy Mack who had an affair with Amanda after she left him. Many years later, Mack came to him for help, and despite his hatred, Sam and his friends did what needed to be done. Together they caught a bad guy, restored Mack's good standing, and he and Sam developed a tenuous friendship.

"_You know, she left me too. I don't think she ever got over you."_

"_Well, can you blame her? Who could?"_

And now, here he was, realizing something he'd never considered before: he'd never gotten over Amanda, either. Finally, he answered Michael. "Yes, I still love Amanda."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Michael smiled and gently slapped Sam on the back. "I guess you're one of those lucky guys who gets a second chance."

"I don't deserve it."

"Sam. One thing I know about you is that you learn from your mistakes. You're not going to be the same man you were thirty years ago." He nodded toward the house. "So you need to go in there and just think about nursing her back to health for now. Show her you love her by doing that."

"Oh yeah, it's just as easy as that. Sounds like something Fi would say."

Michael gave him a look. "Do this for her, Sam." He grasped Sam's arm before he could stand. "She needs you now, and just think of this as payback for what you couldn't do before."

Sam nodded. "Okay. I'll try."

"I know you. You can do this."

"When Amanda regains her memory, she's not going to be happy that it was me beside her all the way."

"By then she'll have seen that you're not the man you were. You've changed." Michael smiled. "Then maybe you two can work things out."

Sam snorted. "Like you and your Ma?"

"That was different." Michael stood and pulled on Sam's sleeve to get him to stand with him. "Just go in there. Talk to her."

A long, heavy sigh escaped Sam. He let his head fall back and he rolled it to get rid of the tension. He wasn't even in the same room with Amanda and he was already feeling nervous about the next encounter. A brief flashback to how he felt on his second date with her. A little smile crossed his lips. Then he wiped it away, turned and nodded at Michael, and went into the house.

He didn't expect the warm smile Amanda gave him when he reappeared. "Hello, Sam. I didn't think you were coming back. I thought maybe I scared you off or something."

"No, it was just me. I have some issues..."

She frowned as she interrupted him. "I remind you of someone."

Damn, he'd forgotten how perceptive she could be. He fought the urge to bolt again and sat in the chair beside her bed. "Yeah, but that's okay. It doesn't matter."

Then she nodded like she used to when she didn't believe him, and he felt like he'd been punched.

"Where am I?"

As Sam started talking to Amanda about safe subjects like where she was and he told her about his friends, it became easier to be with her. It was almost like when the two first dated, and all those old feelings came rushing back at him. He tried to fight it, but it was impossible to resist. He knew the signs: he was falling in love with Amanda all over again, and by doing so he was taking a big risk. But he didn't care, because this time he was going to do it right if this was a second chance that he'd been given.

Meanwhile, Michael and Fiona worked on the leads and sources that hopefully would give them information on how Amanda wound up on the boat. The usual channels came up with nothing, and the team was beginning to think that they would never know unless Amanda's memory returned.

A couple of days later, she was well enough to take short hobbling trips around the house with Sam's support. Virgil found some crutches in the garage from one of Michael's spills as a teen, and he adjusted them for Amanda's use. It made getting around much easier.

Since she had nothing to wear, and Amanda was itching to get outdoors, Fiona brought her some things from her own collection. Amanda was the same size but taller. She came out wearing a sundress that reached above her knees and Fiona grimaced.

"I think we need to take you clothes shopping," Fiona said.

"Fi, do you think that's safe," Sam asked.

"She'll be with me, Sam. You know I'll take good care of her."

"Okay. Just watch yourselves. Maybe I should come along and..."

"We'll be fine!" Fiona shook her head, guided Amanda by the elbow and turned her toward the back door. "We'll be at the Galleria, and you can call to check in if you're so concerned. Sheesh."

Amanda laughed. At the door she turned and gave him a look. Her brown eyes were warm and sparkled with life along with her smile. He waved, and when she was gone, he knew his stomach would feel jittery and unsettled until she returned.

Just outside the door, he heard Amanda say, "You'd think he was married to me."

Fiona responded with a laugh, but the statement hit Sam in the chest. What would she think if he told her that she was?

When the ladies were gone, Michael said, "Sam, we need to talk."

"Sure. What's up?"

"Sit down." Michael got up as Sam sat at the dining room table. He went into the kitchen, brought out two beers, and sat across from his friend. He tapped a file folder. "This is what we've collected. Amanda is an NSA agent, as you already discovered, only she hasn't been working for the NSA for a couple of years now." He paused and took a sip of his beer. "She went rogue, Sam."

"Rogue? Amanda?" He snorted. "It's pretty hard to believe she's even an agent. A support staff member or a secretary, maybe, but an agent?"

"Obviously, she changed too, Sammy." Virgil spoke as he joined the conversation and sat at the end of the table.

Sam shook his head. "No. Something isn't right."

Michael opened the folder and showed Sam the evidence. Photographs and reports linked her to several activities that were not sanctioned by the U.S. Government. By the time he reached the last page, a newspaper clipping about a mass shooting at a community center, Sam felt sick to his stomach. His beer was warm, barely touched.

"Mike, do you think she had something to do with the people who burned you," he asked after Michael pulled the file back to his side of the table and closed it.

"I don't know. She could have just gone deep undercover on an assignment, or she actually worked with Anson's people. For all we know, she may never have had anything to do with this. You know how spies can be given credit where credit isn't due." His eyes sparkled along with a remorseful smile, recalling his own situation. "She doesn't appear to be any danger now, so I say we hang onto her. When her memory returns, if she shows herself as a rogue, then we'll deal with that problem."

"What if she never regains her memory," Virgil asked. He glanced at Michael, then Sam.

"We might still have to turn her in," Michael answered with an apology in his eyes as he looked at Sam. "Until then, I don't know how long my Ma will want to keep her around."

"Maybe there'd be less pressure on her to get back to normal if she's isolated a little," Sam suggested. He saw the question in Michael's eyes. "I mean, if I were to get a place where it would be just Amanda and me, separate bedrooms of course. I mean, you said yourself that she trusts me more than any one of you."

Virgil spoke. "Don't worry. As long as nobody brings up this Anson character and her possible link to him, Madeline will have no problem keeping Amanda around."

"Virgil, I can't keep this from her."

"Mike's right. If this goes south, she's gonna hate him and us all over again."

"I hate to say it, boys, but you're right." Virgil sighed and drained his beer. "She's at her aqua aerobics class right now, but when she gets back, we'll get this settled."

When Michael told Maddie everything, she paled and her eyes stared at Michael, immovable. "You want to keep a traitor in my house? After what happened with Nate?"

"Ma, we don't know for sure that she is." Michael reached for her, but Maddie's hands batted him away.

"No!" She screamed at him. "I won't have her here anymore!"

Virgil tried to reason with her. "Madeline, we think that if she was on the wrong side, maybe she was trying to make things right. She's the only one who survived off that boat."

"So?" Her eyes filled with tears and she tried to get away, but Virgil wrapped his arms around her.

"Ma, Fi and I found out that the yacht held a team, a remnant of Anson's organization. They were on a mission. We think that somehow they knew that I was going to be out on Virgil's boat that day, and they were heading out to kill me. Probably Sam too, and Virgil would have just been collateral damage."

Maddie glanced at them all as if they were crazy. Her voice came out in a whisper as she asked, "When is this going to end, Michael?"

"It might be like fighting cockroaches, Maddie," Sam said from where he stood by Michael. "We'll probably come upon them for years, now and then."

"I don't know how you can stand to live like this," she said. She sniffled, and Virgil, still holding onto her with one arm, gave her his handkerchief.

"Come on, Madeline. Let's go sit down for a bit and you can settle down. Then we'll talk about this some more."

"No, there's nothing more to discuss." Her eyes locked on two figures standing in the kitchen, and her eyes threw ice at one. "You, get out of my house before I kill you! You're not getting my son, you hear me!" She took a step toward Amanda, but Virgil held her back.

"Madeline." Virgil tried to soothe her with a soft voice, but she struggled against him.

Michael handed Sam his keys. "Get her out of here, now."

"Will do, Mikey." His eyes conveyed his apology to Maddie before he turned away from the scene and approached Amanda and Fiona. Maddie's voice faded away as Virgil took her into the solar room, but the shock remained. Sam laid a hand on Amanda's elbow. "Come on, we'll find you a place to stay for awhile."

Amanda was close to tears. "What did I do?"

"Nothing. It's okay. Fi, can you bring the stuff you bought for Amanda and put it into the Charger?"

"Sure, Sam." Fiona led the way to the car and threw the bags into the back seat. She unfolded the seat and Sam helped Amanda into it, and Amanda winced at the contact of her stitches with the vinyl. It reminded him that he needed to look at that and see how it was healing.

"Tell Mike I'll let him know where we wind up."

"Good. If we had room at the loft..."

"I know." Sam smiled. "If you can stay with her later, I'll come back and get my stuff." Fiona nodded. Sam closed the door for Amanda and trotted around to the driver's side. He pulled out of the driveway with no idea where to go, but he had an idea. He got on his phone. "Hey Barry, remember how I saved your butt and helped you get your ledgers? Well, I need a favor..."

It wasn't the Taj Mahal, but it wasn't some two-bit sleazy motel, either. Barry had a small house in Boca, a piece of investment property he obtained from a client. It would keep Amanda out of the main city, yet the police station wasn't far away in case something went down. It had two bedrooms, one bath, a living/dining/kitchen area, and it was fully furnished. Michael and Fiona came to visit and watch Amanda while Sam went back to Maddie's to retrieve his things. Virgil had everything packed and waiting for him.

"Maddie's so hot right now, she barely allows me in the house." He waved Sam away from the back door. "Don't worry, she'll get over it."

"This is my fault. If I hadn't had Mike bring Amanda here..."

"You didn't know, Sammy." Virgil looked at him with a hard expression. "Mercy, I don't know about you two boys. Between you and Michael, you're both blaming yourselves. It was nobody's fault. Just keep movin' forward and let Michael and Fiona get to the bottom of this mystery, and you take care of that little lady, because if she's innocent, you've got a second chance at happiness with her." His eyes softened and he grinned. "Don't blow it, son."

Sam mirrored the grin. "Thanks, Virg. I'll try not to."

Amanda was not the same woman Sam married. She was still sweet but more worldly-wise, charming and fun-loving, but she'd gained a strength she didn't have before. If Sam suddenly went away, she would be able to take care of herself. She was capable of dressing without his assistance, which was just as well because he didn't think he would be able to assist without temptation rearing its head. She limped around without crutches now and then to strengthen her leg which Sam tried to discourage, but she gave him a look he'd never seen before. It was cold and tough, daring him to defy her desire to get better in her own way.

"Amanda, I need to look at that leg. It's probably time I took out those stitches."

"Would you? I'll be so glad to get them out!"

"Sure. After lunch."

When she finished, Amanda went to her room and waited for Sam. The two of them were alone, except for brief visits from Michael and Fiona. Michael would always go outside to talk to Sam and Fiona stayed inside to keep her company. Amanda liked Fiona. She was tough like her, and she could tell the woman had a lot of scars, just like her. How Amanda knew that, she wasn't sure. She told Fiona how now and then she dreamed something, only it didn't seem like a fantastical thing. Amanda was certain that it was real.

She told Fiona that she was starting to remember, so on the last visit her new friend brought a pen and notebook for her. Amanda wrote things down during the day when she closed her eyes and saw flashes of memories. They didn't always make sense, but she recorded it anyway. Sometimes she sketched what she saw. She shared her recollections with Sam because she trusted him and hoped that maybe he would be able to help her put the pieces together and give her enough to find her way back to herself.

Today, she and Sam would be alone all day. He cleaned up the kitchen from lunch and she listened to the sounds of domesticity. It should have been her job. She used to do those things for a man... a man with dark brown hair, brown eyes like Sam's... who wore a uniform. She shook her head when the memory left her. It was a memory, of that she was sure. When Sam entered the room she was jotting it down in the notebook.

"You had another one?"

Her head whipped around. She lay on the bed on her stomach, facing away from the door. She didn't know why his entrance startled her for a moment, but it did. He saw it too, and his face registered his concern.

"Yeah. It's okay." She smiled. "I think it was kind of a good memory, but it wasn't around long enough to determine if it was or not."

He nodded. In one hand he held a container with some medical supplies in it and he set it on a chair which he pushed over to the side of the bed. "Okay, let me take a look at this first." He cut off the bandage and nodded. "You've healed up enough. I'm taking the stitches out. This might hurt a little."

"It's okay. I'd rather not have them in my leg, thanks." She rested on her elbows and forearms and twisted her head around to give him a sweet smile. He returned it, then went to work.

He snipped the stitches and removed them as carefully as he could to avoid causing her pain. God knows he'd given her enough of that for a lifetime. He glanced up now and then. Amanda continued writing in her notebook while he plucked thread out of her skin. She sucked in a breath.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

The last stitch was gone, and there was a little irritation around the wound but the operation went well. He massaged some aloe into the red area and put a small adhesive bandage on it. "There, all done." His hand rested on the back of her thigh. The skin was still soft and smooth and it did things to him, things he had no business thinking about when it was possible that he was harboring an assassin in Barry's home. He would freak if he knew! Sam pulled away, shot up to his feet, and snatched up the supplies, threw them into the container and turned toward the door.

"Sam, is something wrong?"

He froze at the threshold. He blinked, unsure if he could turn around and not expose the desire in his eyes. Maybe if he reminded himself that their marriage was over, even if they were still legally married, maybe then he could douse the flame in his heart.

"Sam?"

He turned, half hiding behind the door frame. "Nothing's wrong. I'm, uh, I'm just going to do some stuff for Mike. If you need anything, let me know."

"I'll probably just get up and get it myself, thanks." A dimple rose in her right cheek when she smiled. "You're really being a super guy. I don't understand why no woman has snatched you up." She shook her head and went back to her notebook.

Sam returned the supplies to the bathroom, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and retreated to the back yard.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Mike, I have a problem."

Michael barely got out a hello on the phone when Sam made the statement. "What's wrong?"

"Amanda. I want her, Mike." He kept his voice low and he stood near the back of the yard so Amanda wouldn't hear him. "I want my own wife so bad, I don't know what to do."

"She still doesn't remember."

"No."

"I know it's asking a lot of you, but stand down, Sam. You could really mess things up if you handle this wrong." He paused and took a breath. "Would it be better if Fi and I took her in? You could go back to my Ma's. Virgil says she's cooled down now, and as long as Amanda isn't in her house, it'll probably be okay."

"No, Mike. Amanda's comfortable here with me. She's starting to remember more things. I know, because she's writing in that book a lot. Maybe one of these days she'll have a breakthrough, and hopefully by then she'll be in love with me again."

"I hope for your sake that she is."

"And that she isn't on a mission to kill us." Sam added with a mirthless chuckle. "Wouldn't that just be the story of my life? Hey, any breakthroughs on your end?"

"No. Without any evidence from the yacht or crew to interrogate, Amanda is it. If she never remembers, we'll never know. The CIA has been looking into all those old files I kept, but her name doesn't come up at all as being part of Anson's organization."

"Maybe that's a good thing. But for Amanda's sake, I want her to remember. I don't want her to lose everything, maybe just the bad stuff."

Michael laughed. "Wouldn't we all want that?"

"Yeah, but I want her to come back so I can make up for what I did."

After talking a little longer, Sam closed the connection. He sat in the shade on a glider and finished his beer when Amanda came out back and limped over to him.

"Look Ma, no crutches," she said with a wide smile and her hands spread out.

Sam laughed and his smile was as bright, if not brighter than hers. In the sunlight she looked like he remembered her from so long ago. He saw her in the yellow sundress. They were living in the cottage, and Sam was on leave. He sat in a lawn chair watching her come from the house with a big smile, and on a whim she twirled around a few times in time with the music that came from inside the house. Her skirt billowed out, and she looked just like a kid. He wanted to get up and dance with her. He stood, took a step, and she stopped and faced him. Something cracked, the sound of gunfire.

Amanda's eyes widened and her hand instinctively reached for her right breast as he ran toward her, calling her name. He would never forget cradling her in his arms as she bled, screaming to the neighbor for help, and the chaos that ensued. She made it through, but the police never caught the shooter, and she would live the rest of her life with that ugly scar. Sam could never forget or hate that he had to go overseas before she was fully recovered, and he saw her only once more after that. Then she was gone.

"Sam, what's wrong?"

The glider moved, and he snapped out of the past. Pain and distress filled his eyes and crinkled the corners of them as he looked at her.

"Please, talk to me, Sam. What's wrong?"

He fought back the sadness as he reached for her cheek and caressed it. In a heavy voice, he replied, "It's okay, Amanda. I... I just remembered something really sad, that's all."

"Why don't you tell me about it," she said as he reached out to lay her palm on his cheek.

"I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't." He pulled back his hand, turned away, and sat against the seat.

Amanda joined him and set the glider in motion. Her hand found his and she held onto it. "There's so much I don't know about me, but right now I don't care." She turned her head to look at him. "All I want to do is know about you. Tell me about yourself, from the time you were a kid until now."

"I'd rather take you to dinner." He'd been studying his empty bottle, but when the words came out, he looked into her eyes.

Amanda smiled, showing off her teeth. "I would love that. Nothing fancy, just a place that's comfortable and you won't feel self-conscious about spilling the beans on who Sam Axe is." She laughed. He laughed with her.

"I'm not sure you can handle it."

"I'll be the judge of that."

He made reservations for a restaurant that he and Elsa went to occasionally. He wouldn't have taken the risk of seeing her there, except he knew Amanda would like the place. Maybe if she was up to it, she could dance a few steps after dinner. Just a few. He wanted her in his arms, and if he had to carry most of her weight on the dance floor, he would do it. Part of him said he was taking too big of a chance, that there was danger in this plan. But when had he ever shied away from danger?

At the last minute, he decided to call Michael. "Hey Mike, what are you and Fi doing for dinner tonight? Amanda and I are going to the 420 Grill."

"That's the place with dancing, right?"

"Yeah. I know Fi likes to cut a rug every once in awhile." He chuckled.

"Is Amanda up for this?"

"Don't worry, she's fine. I'll keep my eye on her all night, and if she's tired or whatever, we'll come back home." He added, "I think she's starting to remember bigger chunks of things. Maybe seeing you two again will jar something loose."

"Okay. We'll meet you there."

"Did I hear you talking to Michael?"

Sam turned to see Amanda in the short hall leading to the bedrooms. She wore a filmy sundress the color of sea foam with pink chunky jewelry that made her skin glow. She wore very little makeup, but what she applied accentuated her natural beauty. He lost his breath and could only stare. She stopped in front of him and he took her hands in his.

Somehow, he managed to speak. "You look terrific, Amanda."

She glowed even more. Suddenly, he couldn't help himself. He lifted a hand to run his fingertips under her jawline while his other hand slipped around her back and pulled her close. He knew she wanted this too, because she wrapped her arms around him, lifted her face to his, and opened her lips slightly before his touched with hers. It was just as good as the old days, and the way she fit against him set his pulse racing. He had to break away, or they would never make it to dinner.

The two stood in the living room catching their breaths, looking intently into each others eyes. Amanda's had a spark like she recognized something in that kiss. He only rejoiced in having something he thought he would never have again.

"We better go."

"Yeah."

All night long Sam kept an eye out for Elsa. He should have chosen a different place so he could enjoy himself completely without looking over his shoulder. After awhile he was satisfied she wouldn't be there, so he began to relax and enjoy the company. During dinner, Amanda stayed focused on him without being rude and ignoring Fiona and Michael. Asking questions of them was a good way to do it, so she fired away without turning their meal into an interrogation.

"How did you and Michael meet," Amanda asked.

"We were on a mission together," Michael answered as he set his glass on the table. "It was about twenty years ago, wasn't it, Sam?"

"Yeah, it was the most miserable day of my life," Sam answered with a chuckle and a grin.

Amanda's face registered incomprehension, so Michael explained. "Sam and I were in Poland, on a covert operation, and it was one of those things where everything went wrong. We were improvising our butts off, trying to get out of there and to our rendezvous point, guys were shooting at us... it was insane."

"And then Mikey got shot, so I had to carry him to the chopper without losing the package we were going in to get." Sam shook his head. "I thought my back was done for after that one, but I survived, and we've been taking turns carrying each other ever since. Right, Mikey?" Sam raised his glass, and Michael raised his with a grin. They met in the center of the table, clinked, and drank. "To the old days. Some are better off left old."

"I'll drink to that," Fiona said and joined them. The three looked at Amanda, suddenly feeling self-conscious in their lack of tact.

"I... if you'll excuse me. I need to go powder my nose." Amanda got up awkwardly. Sam rose to help her, but she waved him off.

"I'll go with her," Fiona said and pulled her chair away from the table.

Fiona was surprised at how quickly Amanda could move without the crutches. She still limped, but she obviously didn't need them anymore. She followed Amanda into the ladies' room and they were alone. Amanda looked at herself in the mirror, tears streaming down her face and ruining her eye makeup. Fiona grabbed some tissues from a box at the end of the vanity and approached her, put an arm around her and handed her the tissues. She held on while Amanda dabbed at her eyes and settled down.

"Amanda," Fiona spoke her name with tenderness. "What's wrong?"

"Fiona, I don't know how much more of this I can take. Every day I remember more, little bits and pieces, but none of it makes sense. I want it to make sense, but I'm also afraid."

"Why?"

"What if I remember and I have to leave? What if I have something... someone... waiting for me? A husband? Kids?" She sniffled. "It's so hard. I started remembering a man, but I can't see him clearly yet. He had brown hair, brown eyes, a dimple like Sam's, and he wore a uniform. I think it was a military uniform. What if that man is my husband and he's waiting for me to come home? In the meantime, every day I spend with Sam I find myself falling in love with him." She stared at herself in the mirror. "It might be wrong, Fiona, but I feel like it's right. What will I do if I'm wrong?"

Fiona squeezed her far shoulder with her hand. "Amanda, one thing we do know is that you don't have to worry about a family."

"No kids?" She sniffled. Fiona shook her head and gave her a smile. "Pity. If I'd been married to a guy like Sam Axe, I would have wanted a whole bunch of them." Her face changed as she spoke until it practically glowed. "He's such a wonderful man. I know he would have made some great kids."

Fiona didn't know what to say to that. She just handed Amanda some more tissues and ushered her out of the bathroom once she'd composed herself. Neither of them realized that they weren't completely alone in that restroom. Elsa was in one of the stalls and she heard every word.

Amanda and Fiona returned to the table looking like nothing had happened. The band started playing, and Sam looked at her with a warmth in his eyes. He hoped that she remembered in some part of her brain that she loved to dance. He only loved to dance with her. So he held out a hand and asked, "Amanda, would you like to dance with me?"

She tilted her head as she met his eyes. A shiver ran down her spine and branched out to her limbs to give her a tingling sensation all over her body. He looked so handsome in the candlelight. She was completely lost in his smile and felt an overwhelming desire to kiss him. Dancing would have to do.

Amanda smiled and said, "I'd love to. I don't know how much my leg can take, but I'm willing to give it a shot."

"I was hoping you'd say that." He grinned, stood and helped her out of her chair. He escorted her to the floor, and when their feet touched the wood, he turned, took her into his arms, and began to lead her around the sea of dancers.

Amanda didn't know where she'd learned to dance like this. It was like her body was on autopilot and moved flawlessly with Sam's. Her leg showed her mercy and didn't give her any trouble. Her chest bumped into his, or their hips touched now and then, but it was beautiful the way they moved together. Like they'd done this before. It felt too comfortable. She looked up at his smiling face. The lighting did something to him. It erased thirty years from his face, and the color of the lighting changed the graying strands of his hair to brown. He wore a tan suit, but as he whirled with her around the floor, she saw him in dress whites, a few ribbons on his chest, and the newly minted crest of the SEALs glinting under the lights.

The revelation caused her to fall out of step and she closed her eyes.

"Are you okay, Amanda," he asked with his lips against her ear.

"I'm fine, Sam." She opened her eyes because the image only became more intense and for some reason it made her feel sad. Amanda would rather feel happy, so she banished the memory and concentrated on Sam as he danced with her. She swallowed, trying not to cry.

Sam studied her expression as he danced with her and he wondered why she looked so distressed. He asked her if she was okay, and she said yes. But the look was still there. The music ended and he feared that she would break away and escape to the table. He was prepared to hold her tighter and keep here there, but he needn't have worried.

The tempo changed to something softer, slower, and more intimate. Amanda slipped her hand from Sam's and draped her arm over his shoulder. His smile widened as he wrapped both of his arms around her back. Cheek to cheek they danced. He smelled her hair, the sweetness of her perfume, and got swept away. Any reservations he may have had about falling back in love with her were gone now. There was no turning back. If she didn't love him, Elsa's rejection would be nothing compared to the despair that would come crashing down if Amanda spurned him.

Sam's lips brushed Amanda's cheek and placed an airy kiss there. It sent a flame shooting straight through her. It was all she could do to control her desire. This was mad, crazy love she was feeling. In the back of her mind, there was only one other time that she felt this way. It ended badly; somehow she remembered that. But this was her second chance, and she wasn't going to let it slip away. She pulled back her head until she could see his eyes. Their rich darkness conveyed so much, and she knew that she wasn't making a mistake this time.

Her hand stroked the back of his neck, her fingertips moving along to his jaw and up to his cheek. Her voice husky with desire, she spoke. "Sam, would you call me crazy if I said that I love you?"

A strangled sound came from him, and he looked as if he would cry. Sam quickly composed himself and answered, "It's not crazy at all, honey. I love you too, Amanda."

His hand curled around the back of her neck and he drew her lips to his. A sigh came from him as they touched and he tasted her sweetness again. It wasn't enough, though. He wanted more. He'd been waiting for this moment for two weeks now. But he would wait for her. He didn't want to mess this up.

As she pulled away, Sam tried not to look disappointed. The music had stopped again, and he suddenly felt like they were standing naked in the middle of the dance floor. He took Amanda's arm and led her off. The moment her feet hit the carpet, she pulled on his sleeve to make him stop and turn to her.

"Sam, I want to go home."

"Are you tired?" He hoped she wasn't.

"No," Amanda replied with a growing smile. "I want to be with you. Alone."

Sam's smile turned into a grin. "We'll say goodnight to Mike and Fi, and then we'll be off."

All the way home, Sam felt like he was twenty three again, remembering a date with Amanda. He drove his buddy's truck with her beside him, holding hands, their fingers intimately entwined before he stopped in a place that was remote and away from the city lights. Under the stars on a blanket spread out on the grass, they shared their first time together. In Miami, getting away from the city lights wouldn't be easy. He settled for taking her to the house, but at least their hands clasped on the console between them, fingers woven together, the desire and tension growing just like the first time.

Sam parked in the driveway and came around to get her door, but Amanda was already out when he reached her. She launched herself into his arms and kissed him until he almost couldn't breathe. He closed her car door, hit the door lock, and hiked her up against him. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, and he walked her to the house.

"Am... Amanda... hang on, I've gotta get the door open. Jeez!"

She giggled against his neck and kissed it while he fumbled with one hand to unlock the door. A little nip, and he dropped the keys.

"Oh crap." He let her down and scooped up the keys. When he straightened, she attacked again and he laughed. "Okay, I got it this time." The door opened. He dropped the keys into his pocket, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her into the house. He kicked the door closed, set her on her feet, and leaned up against the door while they devoured each other with kisses. His hand found the lock, turned it, and then he could focus on her and nothing else.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The morning sun poked through the slats in the blinds and shone on the couple curled up in bed. The warmth of Amanda's body curved into his gave Sam an intense satisfaction as he awoke. His right arm pillowed her head and the other was draped over her side. His hand rested underneath her. He didn't want to wake her, yet he wanted to love her again. Unable to break himself from the magic of last night, he placed a feather light kiss on her shoulder.

Amanda was awake before Sam. She just enjoyed the stillness of the morning lying in his protective cocoon. When he kissed her shoulder, she couldn't pretend anymore. With a sly smile, she rolled onto her back and gave him a look so laden with love that he took it as an invitation to dive into her lips. He covered her with kisses and his body, and she opened up and freely gave herself to him. It felt as good as the night before, as so many other times in the past. Their bodies had changed, not always for the better, but they still fit together as seamlessly as when they were young.

She knew sometime during the night that this wasn't just coincidence that she remembered so much. It was meant to be for her to come back to Sam. He'd changed. She'd changed. When she left him, she thought she would never be able to love him again. Hate burrowed into her heart and she let it fester until the past two weeks showed her that she still loved him, even more so now because Sam Axe had become the man she'd hoped to marry all those years ago. There was only one thing that still bothered her.

She looked up at him, and he noticed something like a question forming in her expression. "Amanda, what is it?"

"Sam... I can't remember. Are we still married?"

"What?" His eyes widened, but then his look of surprise turned to one of joy. He laughed. "You remember. Amanda, you remember that we were married!"

"Were?" She frowned.

"Yeah, well, uh, we still are, actually." He chuckled. "I never did anything about it."

"Me neither!" She grasped his arms. "This is so totally nuts. Today I wake up and I remember everything." Her hand moved to his face. "I remember how we met, the dates we went on, the first time we made love... all of it."

"The good and the bad?" His brow wrinkled.

She nodded. "The good and the bad." Tears sprung to her eyes and she blinked them away.

"I'm sorry, Amanda. The way I treated you was so wrong."

"I really hated you for a long time. But I used that emotion and determined that I would learn to be self-sufficient. I had to prove to myself that I didn't need some heartbreaking man to ruin my life. I could do just fine on my own." She gave him a wry smile.

"So there was never anyone else?"

"I didn't say that. I just didn't get married because I had this stupid marriage still hanging over my head!" She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh Sam, that's not..."

He laid himself beside her and said, "It's okay, I completely understand. I felt the same way. I came close to marrying another woman once, but our marriage was a roadblock and she dumped me even before I could try to get it resolved, and then I realized that she wasn't the right woman. Not if she could give up that easily."

"Was that Elsa?"

"No." Sam shook his head. "Her name isn't important." He reached out and smoothed her hair. It stood up in places and snarled with other locks, but she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "Manda, baby, none of those other women meant anything to me and now I know why." Emotion choked him up and he blinked to keep the tears from falling. "It's because you never left my heart. You were always there, Amanda. I love you so much."

He captured her lips and held her face in his hands. Amanda's hands ran down his back as she pressed into him.

"I've loved you all these years, Sam. I couldn't get you out of my heart no matter how hard I tried." She was almost out of breath. "I'm so glad we never got divorced."

"Me too, Manda." He smiled. "Me too." He kissed her and she responded greedily as if she would never get enough of him.

Amanda delighted in watching Sam fall asleep in her arms. He was definitely older, with character lines he hadn't owned when they were young, stupid, and vessels of raging hormones. Somehow the good Lord knew what he was doing when he put them together, but it was their own selfishness that broke them apart. She was glad for the chance to start again. She didn't care anymore if her full memory came back or not. She remembered the things that really mattered.

Her stomach rumbled, and Amanda recalled that she hadn't eaten much last night. She was too fixated on Sam and Michael's stories and studying her man as he interacted with his friends. Yes, he'd matured into a fine person. Amanda couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him.

As a token of her love and appreciation for everything Sam had done up to that point, she got up, wrapped herself in a robe, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. While the eggs were cooking, she walked around the small house and imagined what it would be like to live there with Sam. Maybe his friend Barry would let them buy the place. It was kind of cute. It reminded her of the cottage they rented near the naval base.

In the living room, she found Sam's laptop sitting on an end table. Underneath lay a file folder. Amanda opened it and found a report on her written by Michael. She didn't want to pry, but if this had anything to do with her, she had a right to know, didn't she? She skimmed it and the details brought back more memories, ones she wanted to forget. Anson's face flashed in her mind. She knew who he was, heard his name in her head. She shook it away. The photographs and other information caused more visions to come at rapid speed until the tears obscured her view. She slammed the file closed and dropped it on the table, covered it with the laptop and returned to the kitchen where the eggs were burning.

Through her veil of tears, Amanda turned off the heat and pushed the skillet to the back burner. She couldn't do this. No, no matter how much she remembered, she couldn't go back there. Anson was gone, anyway. What good would it do to fulfill her mission? She'd already come to that conclusion before, and that's why the men on the boat took her on that cruise. The plan was to shoot her and dump her body for the sharks to feed on, and someone else would take her place. She couldn't let that happen. Amanda would rather die than let the last remnant of the organization that wanted them dead execute Sam and his friends.

"Amanda?"

She turned and blinked until she could see Sam clearly again. He stood in the kitchen arch dressed in his robe. She could see that he hurt for her, but he didn't know why. Part of her wanted to push past him and run away, but she was more useful to Sam and his friends if she stayed put. She knew where the others were, and with Michael and Fiona's help, she and Sam could take them down.

"Sam. I... I was supposed to kill Michael, and you. But I can't. I can't do it!" She broke down from the intensity of her love for him and the pressure of what was at stake for her if she didn't follow through.

He stood in the doorway gaping at her, but the moment Amanda dropped her head in her hands and wept, he rushed forward to hold her tight against him. "Shh, it's okay, honey. It's okay. You remember, this is good."

"But you don't get it. I was supposed to kill you and Michael... and Fiona if I could. Anson wanted you all dead." She looked up at him.

He pushed the damp hair away from her face. "Well, Anson is dead, and you don't have to worry about him anymore. If there's anyone else left in his organization and you know where they are, we'll take care of them. I promise." He pulled her head against his chest. "I won't let anything happen to you, and if you have my back, nothing will stop us."

It felt good when she latched her arms around his waist. Her tears were warm on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and wouldn't let go until she settled down.

Her hand went to the spot where she'd dampened the lapel of his robe and she looked up at him with a shaky smile. "I'm sorry, I got you wet."

"I've gotten wet before. I don't melt." He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her lips to kiss them briefly. "You don't either. I just know you're tough as nails, Amanda, and we're going to make a formidable team with Mike and Fi. And if our friend Jesse can pry himself away from his day job, we'll have quite the group." He glanced over her head at the ruined breakfast. "Please, don't tell me you forgot how to cook."

She laughed. "No, I just had a mishap when I started remembering more stuff."

"No problem." He patted her on the behind and said, "Go get yourself together. I'm going to call Mike and Fi, and we'll meet at Carlito's for breakfast and talk about this latest development."

One more kiss on the lips, and Amanda's steps were so light, she almost skipped to her room to pick up some clothes and retreat to the bathroom. She heard Sam's voice in the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mike, something really big has come up with Amanda. We all need to get together and talk. Uh huh, meet you at Carlito's in an hour."

Fiona saw the couple first as Sam and Amanda walked down the sidewalk hand in hand half a block away. Amanda said something to Sam and ducked behind him to look into a store window, causing him to spin around or risk having his arm twisted. The two conversed and Amanda's smile was wide. Sam just looked happy to be with her. He said something and pulled her away from the window, then moved his arm around her shoulders. She snaked her hand around his waist and the two shared a brief kiss before continuing toward the cantina.

"I haven't seen him that happy since Veronica." Michael reacted with a soft voice.

"I know." Fiona had a dreamy tone in hers. "Isn't it grand?"

"So, that's the real Mrs. Axe, huh," Jesse said as he studied the two.

"Yeah."

Jesse nodded. "They make a cute couple."

Sam led Amanda to the table, and they wore matching grins as they greeted Michael and Fiona. Then Sam turned her toward Jesse. "Amanda, this is Jesse Porter. Jesse, this is Amanda... my wife."

Jesse didn't think it was possible for Sam to grin any wider, but he did when he mentioned Amanda's status. "It's a pleasure." Jesse stood and shook her hand, and the three sat at the table. "So, you guys are still legally married?"

"We are," Sam replied. "Neither of us ever did anything to end our marriage."

"Why not? No offense, but most people would want to get the paperwork done as soon as possible."

Amanda sat a chair and Sam took the one to her left. "Once I realized that Sam wasn't coming back, I just wanted to move on and get over him. I figured it was too big of a hassle to locate him and spend money on an attorney to get it done." Amanda grimaced. "That and I also didn't see myself getting that serious with another man again, so what was the point?"

Fiona was about to open her mouth to ask a question, but Michael beat her to it. "I know we'd all like to hear about what you remember, but we really need to get down to this business Sam was talking about on the phone."

"We should at least find out how she got into the NSA and worked for Anson, Mike." Sam disagreed.

"I promise I'll make it quick, Michael." Amanda gave him a thin smile. "Sam told me how you are about getting down to brass tacks."

The server stopped at the table and took their orders for drinks and breakfast, then moved away. Feeling comfortable that no one outside their group was listening, Amanda continued her story.

"After Sam left, I got really angry. I decided I wasn't going to just sit around and cry about it. I grew up and I went to college, and in my senior year there was a recruitment fair for FBI, CIA, NSA, et cetera. I was a Criminal Justice major, something really new for me, but I loved it, and so I decided to look into the FBI. I don't know how I wound up at the NSA table instead, but the next thing I knew I was working for them. I was there for a long time, until a couple years ago." She took a sip of the orange juice she ordered and continued. "I had an operation go bad because of Anson. Little did I know he was setting a trap because he wanted to recruit me." A smile of regret crossed her face. "He left me with a choice: work for him, or my career was toast and he would make sure that everyone I knew would find out that I did something that I never actually did. He was a snake."

"We're well acquainted with his tactics," Fiona said.

"Why did Anson want to recruit you?" Michael looked at her with doubt still in his eyes.

"Like I said, I was angry at Sam yet. He must have found out about how I felt and decided I could be a good tool in his arsenal to take you down."

"That makes sense." Michael nodded.

"In case you're wondering, I had nothing to do with your brother's death. When that happened, I was in Antigua with the last of the teams attempting to regroup. Anson's death caused the organization to fall apart and scatter. It was then that I was told if I didn't hunt down Michael Westen and his friends and kill them all, I would be dead."

"One of my friends is your husband." Michael's eyes were steely and cold as he stared at her.

"Yes, I know." Amanda nodded. She glanced at Sam, and he squeezed her hand, encouraging her to continue. "I stood up to them and said I couldn't be responsible for the loss of innocent lives. Anson's lieutenant, a man named Pasquale Denirov, orchestrated with Tom Card to have you all killed in Panama." She smiled. "Neither of them counted on you slipping through the traps, but then, you're Michael Westen. You're almost like a super hero in the spy world."

"Thank you, I guess." He didn't expect a compliment from her.

"After you four escaped Panama, I was given one last chance to return to Miami and take all of you out. After all, the organization was running low on employees. They couldn't just kill everyone who questioned an order." She smirked.

"But you did again," Fiona said.

Amanda nodded. "I did. That's when they put me on the boat and expected I would put up with being turned into fish food. In my time with the NSA and working with a few CIA operatives under special circumstances, I learned a few things. First of all, I told them that I was pregnant, which wasn't true." She laughed. "But it made a couple of them take pause. While they stood on deck arguing about whether or not to kill me, I was tied up in the hold. I got out of my restraints and rigged up some explosives that were stored on the yacht for other purposes."

"So you blew up the yacht. Good for you." Fiona grinned.

"I had it on a timer that I also scrounged up. I tell you, they had one heck of a cache on that boat! So when it was set to go boom, I was hoping I'd be off. If not, at least there were four bad guys who weren't going to make their next assignment, and maybe after my death the NSA would realize I really wasn't that bad."

She recited this fact with such a casual tone, but it affected Sam deeply. He put his arm around her and held on tight. "I'm really glad you didn't go up with that boat."

"I think it's pretty ironic that the men I was supposed to kill happened to be on a boat not far away and they rescued me!" She leaned her head against Sam's shoulder.

"There were only three in the water." Michael said. He still looked skeptical about her story.

"I know. The fourth guy was at the helm."

"How many people are left in the organization," Michael asked.

"There are five in Antigua, although I'm sure once word got to them about the yacht going up, they'll have moved by now. The back up location was an old warehouse in the Bahamas. It's accessible by boat and on the west end of the Grand Bahama Island. The cops don't mess with the place."

"Can you show us where it is?"

"I'll be happy to." The smile she gave Michael told him that he had nothing to fear from her. "Look, I know you still don't trust me. I can see it in your eyes, Michael. Despite my dubious alliance with Anson, I'll do whatever it takes to bring the rest of his system down. I wish I could convince you that it literally made me sick once I knew what I'd gotten myself into and couldn't get myself out of it. I'm not proud of the past two years of my life."

He nodded. "I understand. But if I see you compromising our mission one bit..."

"Go ahead and shoot, because I'd never be able to live with myself if I turned on you all, especially Sam." She glanced at him and returned her attention to Michael. "It took me almost a lifetime to get back to his side. I'm not going to risk losing this opportunity."

The four glanced at each other, impressed with her conviction. Sam's grip on her never lightened up. He was proud of her.

"Mike, I think we need to get Virgil in on this one. He's got the boat that can get us to the Bahamas, and he might know where this place is," Sam said.

"My mom won't be too happy about that, but if this wipes out the last of Anson's machine, I think she'll be okay with him going along."

Their dishes arrived, and over breakfast they formulated a plan for taking down the last group of Anson's minions. It would take a day to put together the supplies necessary, and after breakfast Sam would get a map of the compound so Michael could fine tune the plan. Everyone agreed to meet again for dinner at Sam and Amanda's. Just the sound of that made the couple exchange secret smiles. When Amanda caught Fiona's glance, she noted the sparkle in the fiery Irish woman's gaze. Michael may have been overly cautious, but Fiona recognized the look of true love and loyalty.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

With Amanda by his side and her assistance, Sam found a good satellite image of the compound. It was close enough to the ocean that it had its own dock. It was remote, nowhere near any towns. With the image blown up large enough for the evening's strategy session, and their work done until then, the two did something that most married couples would find mundane: armed with a list, Amanda and Sam went grocery shopping.

"You know, this is something we never did together before." Amanda made the observation as the two entered the grocery store. She stood beside the line of carts and looked at him.

"What?" With a tilt of her head, and a roll of his, he grabbed a cart.

"I have the list, and I need to keep track of what we're getting, so you navigate the cart. It's only fair."

"Why do you get the list?"

She laughed and gave him a smug smile. "I wrote it out."

"Does that mean you're cooking?" He glanced at her with a teasing expression and leaned on the cart handle as she stopped to look at some tomatoes in the produce section.

Undaunted, she shot him a look. "We're cooking together. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, and I get the cleanup. Yeah, I see how this works." Still playing with her he grumbled and pushed the cart forward.

"No, we'll do that together, too." She shook her head and laughed at him. "I think we're gonna have to sit down and talk about this sharing of the chores around the house. I'm not doing it all myself, you know."

"Well, after we're done taking down the rest of Anson's people, you'll have a lot of time on your hands." He smirked, knowing that remark would get a less than favorable response.

"So will you," she came back quickly and surprised him.

She was definitely not the woman he married, but he was really starting to like this side of her. The playful ribbing reminded him of Fiona, only her smart aleck remarks weren't always said in the same spirit. Even so, some of that playing off each other was what thawed the ice between them. Fortunately there was no ice between Amanda and himself. It was strange that after all the unhappiness they suffered through together and apart, she seemed to pardon him so easily.

Then he realized the reason was that she loved him so strongly, and she was astute enough to know that forgiveness brought healing. As an older and wiser man, he saw the benefits of such love and mercy, and he reciprocated. He was bound to Amanda for a lifetime, and now he was committed to fulfilling the promises he made on the day they wed. Too bad they both missed out on so much in the years between.

With the entree in the oven and the remainder of dinner slow cooking on the stove, the small house got warm. Amanda opened some windows to let the heat escape.  
"You know, Manda, there is such a thing as air conditioning."

"I know that, but I like the fresh air." She took his hand and led him out the back door to the glider in the shade. "Come on, let's just relax out here."

He made himself comfortable on one end, and Amanda slid across the seat to sit up against him. Sam turned his body at an angle and put one leg up on the bench so she could better fit against him, and his arms went around her. His chin rested on her shoulder and he took in her perfume. It was something fresh and flowery mixed with the spice of the casserole she threw together.

"You smell great."

"Good, then I know dinner will be well received."

Her statement caused him to throw his head back and laugh. When he snuggled up to her cheek again, he said, "I wonder how many times you would have made me laugh if I hadn't gone away."

"Oh Sam, please, don't even start with that."

He sighed as if he had to release his inability to forgive himself. "Do you ever wonder what our kids would have been like?"

An eyebrow went up and Amanda turned to face him. "What brought that on?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just think you would have been a beautiful mother."

"It's a little late, but it could still happen." She wore a teasing smile and had a sparkle in her eye.

Sam paled, and it was her turn to laugh. "No, there's not much chance of that happening. Don't worry."

"You know, I've been to some scary places and gotten into some dicey situations, but I think being a father would be the most frightening thing of all."

"I know what you mean." Amanda rested in his arms again and relished the slow, smooth movement of the glider. "I'm gonna really be glad when this whole Anson thing is over. It's been a nightmare the past couple years."

"Ha, try the past six, almost seven for us."

Amanda fell silent, recalling everything Fiona told her about the time Michael spent trying to solve the mystery of who burned him and why, and how faithful his friends were in helping him. She never would have expected that from Sam. When they were younger, he took the easy route by using duty as an excuse to flee from emotions that scared him. It was no wonder when he grew up in a broken home and saw that love only brought heartache. With experience, a lot of it painful, under his belt, he was a different man. She knew she loved him way back when, but now she loved him even more because of who he'd become.

"What time are your friends supposed to be here?"

"Five. Why?" He glanced at his watch and then down at her.

She had that look again, the kind that said she wanted something. Only this time it wasn't a grocery cart. It would be tight, but there was some time to kill before Michael, Fiona, and Jesse arrived.

Tangled in the sheets, laughing and giggling, the two heard car doors slamming. In the neighborhood where they were living, that wouldn't be unusual except for the fact that Amanda heard voices she recognized. She froze beneath Sam, her eyes wide.

In a soft voice full of urgency, she exclaimed, "It's them. The second team."

He didn't even question her. Trusting her word, Sam ordered, "Get up." He scrambled out of bed and snatched up his pants and got into them. As he moved to the window to peer out of the blinds, he saw one man moving alongside the house with an automatic weapon. He held up one finger.

Amanda nodded. She threw on her top and a pair of shorts, reached under the bed and pulled out two weapons. She gave one to Sam. Then she left the room and moved into the hall. Something thumped against the back door. Two more thumps, and they were inside with guns held before them. Amanda burst around the corner and fired, mowing down the two intruders. One more came from the front, and with his back to hers, Sam dispatched him quickly.

"That's only three," he said.

"I know. Where could the other two be," she replied. "Sam, look out!"

Amanda saw one in the hall and they were both in his line of fire. She attempted to swing her gun around to get him, but he was at an advantage. Bullets flew down the hall toward them, and Amanda and Sam dove for the floor. Sam returned the volley as he went down.

Smoke filled the hallway, and the only other sound was that of their breathing. Finally, Sam could speak. "Manda? You okay?" No answer. "Manda?" He rolled to his stomach to look at her. He choked as he saw her abdomen soaked in blood. "No. Oh no, Amanda. You're not leaving me now. You can't!"

He got to his knees, discarded the gun and picked her up. The hospital wasn't far away, but he wasn't about to wait for the sirens to get closer. The cops at the station a half mile away must have heard the shots. With Amanda in his arms, he moved quickly out the back door toward the garage. A shot came out of nowhere, caught him in the leg, and he collapsed to the ground with Amanda. The pain nearly took his breath away, but Sam's mind was on getting Amanda to the car. He tried getting up, but the shooter closed the distance between them and kicked Sam in the side. He flopped on his back, looking up at the sky, the shooter's face slightly in shadow. He wore a thin evil looking smile as he raised his weapon to shoot. At this range, Sam knew one shot and he was done with the high powered machine gun he was using.

Sirens shrieked all around them, followed by doors slamming and voices shouting at the shooter. With a look of fierce hatred, the man stood down and put up his hands. He never got off another round and was stripped of his weapon and taken into custody within seconds of the police arriving.

Sam didn't care about his own injury. All that mattered was Amanda. He pushed himself up to his knees, but his left leg wouldn't hold his weight. Determined to get her to the car any way he could, Sam tried again.

"Sir, don't move. Ambulances are on the way."

"No, you don't understand. I... I have to get... help."

"You can't walk. Don't worry, she'll be okay. They'll take good care of her."

Unable to do anything else, Sam sat on the grass and pulled Amanda into his arms. Inside, he felt numb yet terrified. He cradled her like that day behind the cottage while voices shouted and combined into a chaotic mess around him. He was oblivious to it all, to the officers speaking to him. All Sam could do was hold her, stroke her face, and whisper his pleas for her to hang on.

"I need you, baby. Please don't leave me. I'm sorry for leaving you. Don't do it to me, not this way." He sniffled. "I know you love me. I love you. We can't lose that."

Another siren shrieked and was silent, people came and ripped Amanda from his arms. He cried out in protest. Then he found himself being picked up by strong hands and placed on a stretcher. His leg burned, but it didn't matter. All he could think about was losing Amanda, and if that happened, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. They gave him something for the pain, but he didn't want it. He fought against the fuzziness that threatened to drag him down because he needed to be awake. If she died without him there...

"Sam."

"I think he's waking up, Michael. He stirred a few moments ago," Fiona said.

He slowly regained consciousness and heard the voices. Fi. Mike. "Manda?" He muttered. "Wh-where is she?"

A hand pushed on his chest to keep him down. "It's okay, Sam. We're all here."

"Amanda?"

"No. Fi and I, and my mom and Virgil. We're here."

He moved a weak arm to cover his eyes, afraid that he'd lost her all over again. "Mike, is she..."

"Amanda's not dead. She's still in surgery."

Sam became aware that his leg throbbed, and he dragged his arm away from his eyes and opened them. He discovered that the bed was at a forty-five degree angle, his leg was propped up with a couple pillows, and he'd been dressed in a hospital gown. "Where am I?"

"You're in the trauma center in Boca." Fiona stood to his left with Michael. "You were shot in the leg."

"I remember. It hurts."

"It will for awhile." Michael responded. "It was a clean through shot and just missed the bone and artery. Between you and Amanda, you guys are pretty lucky when it comes to getting shot in the legs."

"Yeah, well, it's not something I wanna do on a regular basis." He took a breath and licked his dry lips. "The shooter. What happened, did he get away?"

"No, the police got him, thankfully." Michael stood with his hand clasping the rail. "It's over. The last team Amanda spoke about, they're gone. Somehow they found her before we could find them and tried to take both of you out. You two took care of four of them, and the other is in Federal custody."

"I shoulda known there'd be another one somewhere, but I was more concerned about getting Manda to the hospital."

"It's okay, Sam. It's all over, and Amanda is in good hands."

Maddie stroked Sam's hair and gave him a soft smile. "You should rest, honey. Get your strength back so you can help Amanda when she's ready to go home."

"Yeah." He felt the drugs taking him down again. "Please, somebody wake me up if she... you know..." He couldn't even say the word for fear of making it come true. A tear leaked out of his eye as he clamped them shut. He couldn't even imagine living without her anymore.

Sam didn't know how much time he spent in a drug-induced fog. Someone told him a couple days, but he never would have known. All he cared about was Amanda. She filled his dreams and hallucinations, hanging by a thread most times. Sometimes he recalled the good things, back when they were younger. He imagined them together again, being the couple they should have been all those years. If she didn't survive, it would never happen. He couldn't accept that.

When he spent more time awake than asleep, Michael wheeled Sam to the ICU to see Amanda. He tried to keep a stiff upper lip staying strong for her, and he remained beside her, holding onto her hand, thankful for the warmth and the steady pulse beat at her wrist. Even after the nurse advised he should be in bed, he refused to leave. Sam grew hoarse talking to her, telling her about himself from the time they parted until when they reunited.

"So, you can see, I was pretty messed up for a long time, Manda. If you don't get better... you have to make it. I mean, you can't let me go back to that life, can you?" He half laughed, half cried at his pitiful petition. He fell silent and looked up at the screen that recorded all of her vitals. The numbers were getting better. It only made him even more determined to stay put. He talked until he couldn't speak anymore, and his words came out raw and ragged. "I'm not leaving you again, Manda. Not ever." Sam was so exhausted that he lay his head on her bed and fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"You sure this is a good idea?" Michael asked as he looked at Sam.

"Yeah, remember the last time you boys went on a fishing expedition," Fiona said with a sly smile.

"Hey now, that was the best thing that ever happened to me!" Amanda glared over her sunglasses at Fiona, but her smile showed she understood Fiona's sense of humor. "If it hadn't been for these guys, I'd be dead now. Twice over." She hugged Sam to her side and stole a kiss.

"How many people can this boat safely hold, anyway," Maddie asked as she climbed aboard with Michael's assistance.

Virgil answered. "I've never had more than six at a time besides me. Any more than that gets a little overloaded."

"Too bad Jesse didn't come. I think he's missing out," Fiona said.

The last of the gear was on board, so Virgil prepared to haul anchor. His passengers found places to sit and enjoy the breeze as he drove them to a fishing spot. This time, he didn't go so far out into the ocean. Close enough to land to make a run for it if necessary, but they should have been quite safe.

Maddie and Fiona sat away from the activity and talked while Amanda, who stood next to Sam with her own rod and reel, joined the men. In his peripheral vision he watched her send her line out upon the waves, and her form and strategy kept his attention.

"I didn't know you could fish."

"My dad taught me. I didn't really care for it, but it was something to do when I got really angry at you." She gave him a sheepish smile. "I used to imagine you were a rainbow trout I hooked on my line and then I'd let you go. It gave me a feeling of power." She shrugged. "I know it sounds silly."

"No, it makes sense to me. I'm sorry."

"Enough with sorry, Sam. What's done is done, and the way you can make it up to me is to love and treat me like you do now." She got a bite and fell silent, wrestling with it. He tried to help her, but she took a step away and continued to fight alone. When she finally hauled it out of the water she turned to Sam and grinned. "If you wanna help, you can take that fish off the line for me."

He gave her a look, slipped his rod into a holder and reached over to capture the flapping, fighting fish. It swung its tail around and smacked him in the face. Her light laughter tumbled out even as she apologized for laughing at him.

He got a hold of it and asked, "Are you keeping it or not?"

"I don't know. What kind of fish is it?"

"It's a mahimahi," Virgil said. "Unusual to find one of those so close to the shore."

"Alright then, I'll keep it." Amanda beamed, although the way she looked at Sam when she said it made him think she wasn't exactly talking about the fish.

When everyone felt sufficiently sunburned and tired out from fishing, Virgil turned the boat back to port. Conversation flowed among the passengers, and they all agreed that it was nice to have a relaxing day with no trouble. At the dock, the fish were cleaned and packed on ice and each couple parted and went to their own cars.

Sam and Amanda put the cooler into the trunk of the new car they bought by pooling their resources, and they went home to the little bungalow Amanda bought with some inheritance money she'd been saving for just the right time. With her body and marriage healed, now was that time. As she and Sam settled in together as a married couple again, it took him some time to get accustomed, but maturity and thankfulness for being reunited helped to make it easy.

He slammed the trunk and put his arms around her. "So, are we having fish for dinner tonight?"

"No, it's going in the freezer. I've had enough of fish for today." She looked up at him and suggested, "Let's go to that club where we danced. I liked that."

"I'm kind of tired." He'd been on his leg a good part of the day.

"Oh, suck it up, sailor." She chuckled. "Dancing will be good for your leg. Trust me, I know it worked for me." Her face lit up with a smile.

No matter what he tried, Sam couldn't resist Amanda when she looked at him with that sparkle of excitement in her eyes and a smile that promised he would enjoy himself. "Okay, fine. Let's go, and maybe we can make it an early evening." He winked, just to let her know he wasn't as disagreeable to the whole thing as he sounded.

"Who knows, you might just get your second wind." She winked back and got into the car, and he moved around to the driver's side.

The couple enjoyed dinner at a table for two on the outer rim of the dance floor. It was early yet, and the band was still setting up and tuning. The couple, however, was so intent on each other that neither one paid attention. However, Sam noticed when Elsa walked in with what he assumed was her new lover. His first reaction was jealousy, but it was gone as fast as a rain shower in the summer when he turned his eyes away from her and focused on Amanda. He picked up her left hand and held it over the table. He ran his thumb along the empty ring finger and set his eyes upon it.

"Manda, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Sam. What is it?" She looked down at what he was doing, the light friction causing her skin to warm.

"What happened to your wedding ring?"

She lowered her head and stared at her plate. Then she glanced up at him with a hint of shame in her eyes. "I sold it." His mouth opened, but before he could speak, she continued. "I pawned it so I could pay for a class." She frowned, because until he brought it up she'd forgotten where the ring had gone. "I was waiting for a student grant to come through and I had to have this class, so I sold it, paid for the class, and then when I received the grant money... I... well, I kind of forgot to go buy it back." A look of shame crossed her face. "I'm sorry."

He let out a breath.

"I'm sorry, Sam! I guess it was kind of one of those Freudian slips, you know? Since I was still mad at you, I didn't really want the ring, and..." She pulled her hand away but he captured it again.

"It's okay." His other hand went for his suit jacket pocket, pulled out a small box, and he set it on the table so she could see the rings inside. "Manda, since I never did any of this right, I'm making up for it now. If you promise you'll love me for the rest of your life and you'll never ever pawn these rings, I want you to accept them as a sign of my love and adoration."

Amanda laughed in surprise even as tears stung her eyes. She nodded. "I promise."

"Good." He slipped the wedding and engagement rings on her finger. They were a perfect fit and sparkled so brightly her breath caught.

"They're beautiful. Thank you. These rings couldn't have been cheap."

"Don't worry about it. We did a job awhile back for a guy who owned a jewelry store." Sam grinned. "He gave me a ridiculous discount." He raised her hand and kissed the fingers. "They look terrific on you."

"Thank you, Sam. If I got you a ring, would you wear it as a sign of my love and adoration of you?"

"You bet I would." When they were married, he didn't wear a ring, telling himself it would get in the way or he might catch it on something in the field, but those were all lame excuses. Now he would wear one without hesitation, if he possessed one, but when he bought Amanda's set, he didn't even think to find a matching ring for himself.

"Good, because..." She reached into her purse and pulled out a small box, opened it, and unceremoniously slipped the ring onto Sam's finger. "I suppose we were on the same wavelength again."

"How'd you know my size?" He gave her a sly look and she blushed.

"I was an NSA operative. I know how to find out stuff." The music started. Amanda swallowed and grinned as she said, "I think they're playing our song. Let's dance."

"We don't have a song," Sam protested.

"We do now."

He laughed, stood, and led her to the floor. As they danced, Amanda rested her hand on Sam's shoulder so she could watch the diamonds sparkle under the lighting. She felt his ring press into her fingers, and it brought her such peace. She decided that dancing with her husband was the best thing in the world. He must have felt the same way, because he kept them going long after she thought his leg would have been overworked.

"I think I'm going to be sorry for that tomorrow morning," Sam said as the two left the club.

"Well, you didn't have anything planned tomorrow, did you? You can just lay around and be lazy."

"I guess that means you'll cut the grass for me, huh?" He laughed.

"I didn't say that!" She laughed with him. With their arms around each other, the couple stopped at the curb to wait for the car.

"Sam. This is quite a surprise." Elsa stood at the curb with her date waiting for her car to be brought to them.

"Elsa. Hello." He hoped she would leave soon. He really didn't want to talk to her, and the look Amanda was giving her didn't help matters. "Amanda, this, uh, this is Elsa. Elsa, I'd like you to meet Amanda, my wife."

"Your wife?" Elsa's eyebrows went up, and the shock on her face was priceless.

"Yes." Amanda's voice was so cold, she could have frozen her mahimahi on the word.

With a prideful glance at Amanda and a hint of a warning in his eyes for her, he announced, "Yeah, we reconnected." He saw his and Amanda's car approaching ahead of Elsa's. "You know, your dumping me was the best thing that could have ever happened. Otherwise, Manda and I might not have gotten back together. Thank you." He smiled, turned to the car, and the valet let Amanda get in. Sam passed him a tip and stopped at his door. "See ya. And good luck with what's his name." He waved his hand at her latest boy toy before getting into the car.

"Sam, that was shameless," Amanda scolded him, but she couldn't help but smile as they drove away and she saw the look on Elsa's face. She looked like she'd gotten the booby prize while Sam walked away with the trophy. Amanda turned away from the window, clasped Sam's hand in hers, and when he stopped for a light, kissed his cheek, savoring its softness.

"What's that for," he asked as he looked at her.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For going on that fishing trip. Not today, but the other one."

"I know what you meant." He put his foot on the gas when the light turned green. "I didn't even want to go... but I'm glad I did." He drove them home, to a place that was small but cozy and full of love, and he spent the rest of the night grateful for what he had. All because of a little fishing expedition.


End file.
